General News
Burkina Faso and Togo are selling cocoa grown in Ghana, as increased smuggling costs COCOBOD $600 million
Ghana’s financial situation COCOBOD is in critical condition and requires immediate surgery to resurrect the once vivacious being.
JoyNews is gaining knowledge. COCOBOD lost over 600 million dollars, or 150 thousand metric tonnes, in the previous harvest season owing to cocoa bean smuggling to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Togo, which made them exporters of cocoa they did not produce.
According to Bryan Acheampong, Minister of Food and Agriculture, the situation has left several cocoa storage facilities vacant.
“I reported last time that because of pricing, we started smuggling on our eastern and western borders. Even our northern borders, we suffered cocoa smuggling – Burkina Faso does not produce any cocoa at all, not even one grain yet Burkina Faso was exporting cocoa.
“Togo does not produce cocoa, Togo is now exporting cocoa from the eastern corridor, all the way from the north to the south.”
“During the rainy season, we had a drop of 85% of cocoa expected from the communities,” he continued. This is cocoa in which we have made significant investments.”
To combat smuggling, President Akufo-Addo set a new producer price over the weekend, the highest in the sub-region.
The president said at a meeting in Tepa, Ashanti Region, that the new producer price per bag of cocoa will be GH1,308.
He added that, until recently, international cocoa prices had remained extremely low, exacerbated by COVID-19.
Despite this, COCOBOD and the government have made the difficult choice to raise the producer price of cocoa.
“Cocoa prices have increased from GH¢7,600 per tonne in 2016, to GH¢12,800 per tonne in 2022, a significant increase of 68%. This has had an adverse impact on COCOBOD’s financial performance,” he said.
Recognising that the sustainability of the entire cocoa industry is dependent on a well-paid producer who is willing to invest in the business only with the certainty that the government will pay the appropriate price, the President stated that the government has increased the producer price in order to keep its promise to cocoa farmers.
President Akufo-Addo stated that the government has “increased cocoa prices from GH12,800 per tonne to GH20,943 per tonne, or GH1,308 per bag.”
“That price is seventy-five per cent (70.5%) of the Gross FoB price, which equates to $1,821 per tonne.”
According to the President, this is the highest price paid to cocoa growers in West Africa in 50 years.
With expected consistent prices over the $2,600 mark, the government will continue to reward our farmers with fair payments in the coming years. Indeed, brighter times are on the way.”
However, some cocoa producers are dissatisfied with the increased price.
According to Oboadie Nana Boateng Bonsu, President of the Concerned Farmers Association, farmer demand extends beyond money.
“The interventions, welfare, and other benefits that cocoa farmers are expected to receive are not being provided; we have a very poor network… The 1,330, which I believe is peanut, will accomplish nothing and will not deter cocoa traffickers from smuggling their cocoa.”
In addition, former President John Mahama condemned the rise as grossly inadequate in a statement.
He went on to say that it is a swindle of industrious cocoa producers.
Mr. Mahama said that, with the international market price of cocoa hitting a 46-year high of $3,600, the government should have paid cocoa farmers a more equal portion of the international FOB price.
A terrible accident occurred at the base of Galenkui Mountain in Ho, claiming the lives of nine people, including babies.
The terrifying occurrence occurred as a 207 Benz was transporting goods and passengers from Abotoase to Sogakofe.
The car encountered brake failure while descending the mountain, culminating in a collision with a Zoomlion garbage truck.
Initial reports verified seven fatalities at the disaster scene, including newborns and children.
Following that, Mary Dzifa, a nurse at Ho Municipal Hospital, informed Citi News that roughly ten children had died in the disaster.
“I was at our facility yesterday, November 22, when a car rushed in with dead and injured children and injured adults, especially men. Some were attended to at the facility, and the rest who were severely injured were taken to the Ho Teaching Hospital. The dead children will be about 10.”
Officials at the Ho Teaching Hospital said that 32 people were admitted for injuries incurred, with 9 dying as a result of their injuries.
Amos Jah, the Public Relations Officer of Ho Teaching Hospital, said that the injured patients are receiving medical attention and making progress in their rehabilitation.
“I received a call from a friend yesterday who was going back to town and that he saw the accident, so I quickly informed the nurses to be on alert. Some were brought in with pickups, ambulance, tricycles; the situation was very bad, some had broken limbs, some heads almost being severed, some were bleeding from all parts of the body. After two hours, we were able to calm the situation down.”
“We had a total of 30 accident victims brought here. Two others were brought from the Municipal Hospital this morning, making it 32 in all. My information is that we lost 9 of them, 4 are kids and 5 are adults. For the kids, three were brought in dead. Those injured are responding to treatment.”
Dr Adam Bonaa, a security expert, has requested the Oti Regional Minister to restrict all public events in Nkwanta in response to the riots that have taken eight lives.
The fights, in his opinion, were avoidable.
“The Regional Minister and his men must make certain that this never happens again.” This was avoidable, yet 8 people died as a result,” he remarked on TV3’s Ghana Tonight on Tuesday, November 21.
He further suggested that “It is important to suspend all public activities that are likely to take place by the two factions, this is the surest way of letting them know that there is an authority within Nkwanta and the region.”
The Oti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) will host an emergency security meeting today, Wednesday, November 22, in response to the Nkwanta riots.
Regional Minister Joshua Gmayenaam Makubu, appearing on the Ghana Tonight show on TV3 on Tuesday, November 21, verified the number of dead and described the pandemonium as “ethnic clashes.”
“Tomorrow we are going to have an emergency security meeting again, ” he further said.
He also disclosed that there had been conflicts in town two weeks earlier between members of two tribes, Adele and Akyode.
Following the conflicts, the Minister of the Interior, Ambrose Dery, acted on the advice of the REGSEC and via Executive Instrument to impose a curfew on Nkwanta township.
The curfew will be in force from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 21.
On Tuesday, November 21, an attacker opened fire in the town’s central market area.
Several people have been murdered and others have been injured as a result of the incident.
The Oti Regional Security Council dispatched officers to the region to handle the situation.
“Government wishes to appeal to all to exercise restraint and to use the established mechanisms for the resolution of all their conflicts and disputes.
“Meanwhile, the Government will like to reiterate that, there is a ban on all persons in Nkwanta Township and its environs from carrying arms, ammunition or any offensive weapons and any persons found with any arms or ammunition will be arrested and prosecuted,” the Minister said.
Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, has categorically rejected selling his official house to a private developer.
He then stated that his home was “almost sold” to a private developer.
The Speaker of Parliament recently revealed that his Accra home was sold to a private developer while he was still living there.
He said this only came to light when the developer went to the Lands Commission to register the land on Monday at the Speaker’s Breakfast Forum in Accra.
However, the Lands Commission claimed in a statement that “at no time did the Lands Commission sell the said property to a private developer.”
In a recent meeting with civil society organisations, the Speaker emphasised that his official house was on the verge of being turned over to a developer except for the intervention of the Lands Commission.
“I didn’t say my residence was sold. That was not what I said. This was just a comment in passing when I said it was almost sold but luckily, I was in possession. And I said it was when they went to Lands Commission that they realised from the search that it was the residence of the Speaker,” Alban Bagbin clarified.
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