Farmers in Berekum appeal for upward adjustment in cocoa price
The farmers are requesting for an adjustment in the prices of cocoa bags
Correspondence from Bono Region
Read full articleMembers of the Ghana Cocoa Farmers Association in Berekum in the Bono Region have appealed for an upward adjustment in cocoa price.
The cocoa farmers are lamenting that the GHC660 per bag of cocoa is woefully inadequate and should be increased by the government considering the current economic hardship in the country.
They revealed that cost of fertilizers and other farm inputs have all soared putting a lot of financial pressure on them.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the association disclosed to GhanaWeb that cocoa farmers are struggling to make ends meet due to the rising cost of living.
He indicated that increase in utility prices, fuel prices and transportation fares have negatively impacted them so the government should cushion them to ease the burden on them.
“Cocoa farmers are struggling as a result of the economic hardship. We all agree that prices of everything have gone up so as things stand now life has become very difficult for us so the government should do something for us”.
He added that the only way to salvage the situation for them is for the government to meet them half way by increasing the price per bag of cocoa to GHC1,0000.
“We can only appeal so we are appealing to the government to increase the price to GHC1,000 so that we can cater for our families because we have dependents and times are really hard for us”.
Buttressing the point for the increment, the Chief Farmer for the Berekum Municipality, Nana Kwasi Diawuo, stressed that the current trend has the potential of discouraging young people from engaging in farming and wants the government to make farming lucrative to attract more people.
“The way things are, nobody will join farming especially the youth so I am urging the government to make farming lucrative”.
