Elder George Owusu, a cocoa Purchasing Clerk (PC) in the Berekum Municipality, says he is disturbed and unable to stand the constant threats on his life from aggrieved cocoa farmers in the area over the government’s delay in paying them.
He said his life was now in danger because he bought the beans from the farmers and called on the government to do something immediately and to give him a sound sleep.
Elder Owusu, a PC working with the Olam Company Limited, raised the concern when the Minority Caucus in Parliament interacted with cocoa farmers in the Akroforo community.
He said that, though he had informed the farmers that the company had not received any funds from the government since 2026, some of them he bought the beans from did not border and continued harassing him.
Mr Owusu said it was unfortunate that most of the farmers in the area were struggling to survive due to the government delays in paying them and called for the intervention of Parliament.
“In fact, I haven’t received any funds since last year, and threats from the farmers are becoming too much to bear”, he stated.
Mr Stevis Kwame Owusu, a physically challenged cocoa farmer in the area, said he and his family were also going through serious economic hardship now, saying that presently he could not afford to pay for his medication, his children’s school fees and rent.
He explained that he largely depended on his inherited cocoa farm and appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to pay the cocoa farmers and alleviate their plight.
Another cocoa farmer in the area, Madam Mary Tima, also expressed similar concerns, saying she had harvested and dried her cocoa beans for some time now and that the beans were now rotten.
“The PCs are not paying our beans, and we are unable to cater for our needs and those of our families”, she lamented and called on the government to do something.
Earlier, Mr Ayeh Asafo-Adjei, the MP for Bosome Freho, who led the caucus, explained that they were in the area to assess the current condition of the cocoa farmers, listen to their problems, and amplify their voices and concerns in parliament.
He criticised the government’s delays in paying cocoa farmers and the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s failure to fulfil its Election 2024 campaign promise of bettering the lives of the cocoa farmers, but rather reducing the producer price of cocoa.
Mr Asafo-Adjei noted that the government owed cocoa farmers about GH₵ 101,000, and worried that, instead of paying the debts, the government had prioritised other non-essential expenditures.
“The government should stop shifting blame on the previous administration because it is clear that the NPP did its best for our cocoa farmers amid international crises”, he stated.
Mr Asafo Adjei said that: “The government has set an unprecedented record by reducing the producer price of cocoa to a level where PCs can’t even operate effectively”, Mr Adjei stated.
Mr Kwabena Boateng, the MP for Ejisu, bemoaned that the non-payment of cocoa farmers had driven many of the farmers to lease their lands to illegal mining operators.
“The government’s silence on the issue is being motivated by a preference for gold revenue over the welfare of the cocoa farmers”, he alleged, and urged the farmers to remain calm as the caucus amplified their voices in parliament for their plight to be alleviated.
Mr Boateng told the farmers that another NPP government would improve their welfare, and urged them to remember and vote for the former Vice President Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia in the Election 2028.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com