A group calling itself the Concerned Farmers Association is complaining about plans by the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to discontinue its Cocoa Road construction program.
COCOBOD announced that after the completion of ongoing projects, the institution will not embark on any further ventures in road construction because it does not form part of its core mandate.
Speaking to Citi News, the President of the Concerned Farmers Association of Ghana, Nana Oboadie Boateng Bonsu, highlighted the impact of such a move on cocoa production.
“If care is not taken, the country will collapse. A lot of foodstuffs come from Dwaboso, Besem, and the rest. So if they are stopping the road construction, how can the people from Boso-Nkwanta and the rest, which is the cocoa growing area, bring their foodstuffs to the various communities or to the neighboring cities and districts for people to enjoy? Their roads have been deprived of tarring, and they are very dangerous.”
“I think COCOBOD has people that they engage, but I am talking about the real farmers on the ground, the concerned farmers, cocoa farmers, and even those of us who are helping to ensure that the cocoa is well established. Nobody touches the cocoa trees in this country, and they don’t even care about us. Even when we give them our reports, they don’t even respond.”