Farmer groups unhappy with cocoa price increment unrecognized – Bryan Acheampong

Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Bryan Acheampong has said farmer groups who have expressed disapproval at government’s increase in the price of a bag of cocoa beans are unrecognized groups.

President Akufo-Addo earlier this month announced an increase in the price of a 64kg bag of cocoa beans from 800ghc to 1,309ghc for the 2023/2024 cocoa season. But groups such as the Concerned Cocoa Farmers Association of Ghana and the Ghana National Association of Cocoa Farmers (GNACOF) have described the increment as inadequate.

But speaking to Francis Abban on GHOne TV‘s State of Affairs, Dr. Bryan Acheampong insists the groups are figment creations.

“Who told you there is a national association of cocoa farmers?”, the MP for Abetifi quizzed.

“The only recognized association of cocoa farmers is the Ghana Cocoa Coffee and Sheanut Farmers Association (COCOSHE)”, he insisted.

“We can go back here and I can create some concerned associations. I have been around long enough to know some of these inorganic schemes,” he added.

“There are 800,000 cocoa farmers and when we announced the price, we had over 3,000 farmers present and happy. And that is a large enough sample compared to three people who have created an association”, Dr. Bryan Acheampong responded to the question of the government’s proof that cocoa farmers were happy with the price increase.

“I am not interested in those concerned when the official COCOSHE is happy and wants to thank the President”, the MP for Abetifi concluded.