NDC Left GHC 19bn Debt in Cocoa Sector, Not Akufo-Addo Government – Dr. Isaac Opoku
Minority Spokesperson says NDC left GHC 19 billion debt in the cocoa sector while Akufo-Addo’s government invested in farm rehabilitation.
- Dr. Isaac Yaw Opoku stated that the previous NDC government under John Mahama left GHC 19 billion in debts in the cocoa sector
- Akufo-Addo’s government, by contrast, used its funds to rehabilitate 70,000 hectares of cocoa farms
- Minority MPs and farmers called for cocoa price increases,
Dr. Isaac Yaw Opoku, Minority Spokesperson on Cocoa and Member of Parliament for Offinso South, has dismissed claims that the Akufo-Addo government left debts in the cocoa sector.
He stated that it was the previous NDC administration under John Mahama that accumulated a GHC 19 billion legacy debt.
Dr. Opoku noted that the debts under President Akufo-Addo’s government were invested in rehabilitating 70,000 hectares of cocoa farms, while the NDC’s legacy debts showed no record of productive use.
He urged cocoa farmers to ignore claims by the NDC that the recent cocoa price reduction is due to debts left by the previous government.
Dr. Opoku made these remarks while engaging cocoa farmers in the Bosome Freho District as part of the Minority Caucus’ parliamentary tour of cocoa-growing communities in the Ashanti Region.
Meanwhile, Hon. Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Minority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, pledged to advocate for a cocoa price increase to support farmers’ livelihoods.
Farmers in Bosome Freho echoed the call, urging the government to raise cocoa prices to reflect the rising cost of production.
