General News of Wednesday, 21 June 2017Source: Myjoyonline.comMinority castigates Akufo-Addo government over excuse not to increase cocoa priceCasiel Ato Forson, Ranking Member on the Finance CommitteeThe Minority in Parliament has described as unacceptable government’s decision not to increase the producer price of cocoa for the 2017 crop season. The Ranking Member on the Finance Committee, Casiel Ato Forson said reasons given by government for the non-payment including a drop in the world price for cocoa is unfounded. “We think that it is very unfair by the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to come out and say they are not going to increase cocoa prices because world cocoa prices are coming down,” he said. Cocoa prices are in a meltdown, hitting a four-year low due to an abundant supply and weakening demand as growing health consciousness grips consumers. The Ranking Member on the Food and Agric Committee, Eric Opoku said the current arrangement would leave farmers impoverished and result in low yields.

Source: GhanaWeb June 21, 2017 14:37 UTC