New Cocoa Price Is Another Impeccable Record Of Akufo-Addo - Tema MCE
The Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, Hon. Yohane Amarh Ashitey, has described as a record, the new cocoa prices for the 2023-2024 crop year.
Speaking to journalists in Tema following a popular acclamation of him as the ruling New Patriotic Party’s Parliamentary candidate for Tema East for the 2024 parliamentary elections, the brilliant MCE said the record is yet another feather in the cup of president Akufo-Addo, that sets him apart from other presidents.
“Like His Excellency said, this is the highest price that cocoa farmers are receiving in fifty (50) years; it is definitely a new record that sets a very challenging height for future leaders of this country to equal,” the MCE said.
He adds that the new cocoa price also, “sets president Akufo-Addo apart from all leaders in the lineage of presidents that we have already had in the past in as far as paying cocoa farmers their due is concerned.”
At an event in Tepa on September 9, President Akufo-Addo announced his government has raised cocoa prices from GH¢12,800 per tonne to GH¢20,943 per tonne.
This means cocoa farmers are now receiving GH¢1,308 per bag, the highest farmers have ever received.
According to the president, the new price represents 70.5% of the Gross FoB price and is equal to $1,821 per tonne.
Hon. Amarh Ashitey pointed out that this price increase is in spite of the fact that Ghana recently faced serious challenges as a result of COVID-19 and the Russia/Ukraine war.
“Throughout the difficulties I kept urging Ghanaians to keep trusting president Akufo-Addo to deliver and as the cocoa farmers can now testify, the President is not only delivering but actually surpassing expectation.” Hon. Yohane Amarh Ashitey said.
The MCE who has been a crusading optimist throughout the recent difficulties urged Ghanaians to keep on believing and expecting great results from president Akufo-Addo.
Meanwhile, Hon. Amarh Ashitey has dismissed the claims by Minority NDC MPs in Parliament that the president’s announcement is a charade and actually, a rip-off of the farmers.
“Politics is devious and vicious, but even in this murky game, integrity is useful; how can anybody say that the new price is a rip-off when the evidence shows that what the president has said is totally representative of the facts on the ground?” Hon. Yohane Amarh Ashitey asked.
He pointed out that, “interestingly, those claiming it is a rip off are the ones who paid the least to cocoa farmers when they were in government. The records show that cocoa prices had increased from GH¢7,600 per tonne in 2016 to GH¢12,800 per tonne in 2022, a substantial 68% increase. Up till 2016, the NDC was in power.”
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