The Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in charge of Cocoa Affairs, Kennedy Osei Nyarko has explained that the decision to peg the 2018/2019 cocoa season price with that of the neigbouring Ivory Coast is to discourage people from smuggling cocoa to and from these two countries.

0

The Deputy Minister, who is also the Member of Parliament for Akim Swedru Constituency in the Eastern Region said, “people smuggles cocoa to Ivory Coast that affects us” but when the price in Ghana is the same as Ivory Coast, it will deter people from smuggling. Read: COCOBOD will collapse if price of cocoa is increased MP warns Mr.

1

Osei Nyarko gave the explanations in an interview with PrimeNewsGhana on the assertions by some politicians that, the government has cheated on cocoa farmers by refusing to increase cocoa price for the 2018/2019 cocoa season. “Nana Addo has been transparent on this matter. The President met with Ivory Coast President to decide on the price and we announced the price concurrently”, he explained.

2

The Deputy Minister added that “it is commendable and we must praise the government because for the first time in the history, Ivory Coast and Ghana have the same price for cocoa”. Read: COCOBOD incurred GHC2 billion debt in 2017 for cocoa price subsidy Mr. Osei Nyarko explained that “people will not carry bags of cocoa to and from these countries to sell because the price in one country is better than the other”.

3

Source: primenewsghana.com

4