The president with some of the cocoa farmers
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of COCOBOD, Joseph Boahen Aidoo says that government is implementing measures to revamp the cocoa sector.
He mentioned that in line with government’s promise to boost cocoa production to 1.5 million metric tonnes, his outfit had procured a total of 20,000 mist blowers and knapsack sprayers for the cocoa mass spraying exercise.
He added that subsidized fertilizers and free agro chemicals had been procured and delivered across all cocoa growing areas across the country.
The COCOBOD CEO disclosed this at a durbar of chiefs and people of Sefwi Wiawso in the Western Region in honour of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who is in the region for a three-day working visit.
Mr Aidoo revealed that government had saved the state from incurring an interest of $400,000 on a $1.8 billion loan facility contracted by the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) government for COCOBOD.
He noted that through prudent economic measures by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, the $1.8 billion loan, equivalent to GH¢20 billion, had been fully paid.
Mr Aidoo added that the loan was due for repayment by August this year, failure for which the state would have had to pay an additional $400,000 interest.
“But the government has done its best to find funds to repay the loan in full. The debt was fully serviced in June 2017,” he pointed out.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his entourage later visited a cocoa farm in the Sefwi Wiawso area where the farmers demonstrated how to operate the machines.
Earlier, the Railways Development Minister Joe Ghartey assured the people in the Western Region that before the end of President Akufo-Addo’s mandate in 2020, the rehabilitation and construction of the Western railway line would be completed.
“This is in fulfillment of the pledge made by President Nana Akufo-Addo and captured in the New Patriotic Party (NPP)’s Manifesto of 2016”, he noted.
The Minister for Railways Development revealed that over 200 companies so far from countries like the United States of America, Switzerland, Germany, China and Ghana, had shown interest in the development of Ghana’s railways, and had submitted proposals to that effect.
“The selection of the companies, who will undertake the rehabilitation and construction of the Western rail line, will be done in accordance with the tenets of competitive bidding to ensure value-for-money,” he added.
He continued, “We have already started the design of the Western Rail line from Kojokrom to Tarkwa. The transportation of bauxite from Awaso has been incorporated into the design.”
The Minister for Railways noted that one of the tragedies of Ghana’s post-colonial development was the neglect of the country’s railways.
“One of the things our country should have focused on was the development of its railway. Railways bring jobs, development and uplifts communities. Ghana’s railway system has collapsed.
“The Western and Eastern Lines will be completely overhauled. This will facilitate the haulage of bauxite, manganese, cocoa, cement, iron ore and other bulk commodities, as well as the transportation of people.”
From Emmanuel Opoku, Sefwi Wiawso