During Ghana’s two-day SEND Conference on Living Income and Human Rights in the Ghanaian Cocoa sector, the Member of Parliament for Abirem in the Eastern Region, Hon. John Osei Frimpong, called on Cocoa farmers not to sell their farms to illegal miners.
He assured that the government is working to improve the living standards of Cocoa farmers in the country and warned of the risks of selling their farms.
They (cocoa farmers) should take stock of what has transpired over the years from their great-grandmothers to their time. Whatever the galamseyers (illegal miners) are offering is just a lump sum. Once that is exhausted that is when they will see the reality. They should hold onto their cocoa farms, the government will come in to support them so that their living standards will also improve. The hardships are there but they should not rush.
John Osei Frimpong, MP, Abirem
He said that the Parliamentary Select Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs has the welfare of Cocoa farmers in his country at heart. As an example, he cited the work the committee is doing with key government stakeholders to get the European Union to improve the living incomes of Cocoa farmers.
The COCOBOD leadership and the government are in talks with the European Union. They have taken the matter up because the cocoa farmers are suffering greatly in the cocoa-producing countries.
So this is something we have taken up and we are working hard to ensure the right thing is done.
John Osei Frimpong, MP, Abirem
MP said he was confident that talks with the EU would lead to a positive outcome, especially after joining forces with Côte d’Ivoire to seek higher cocoa prices, as they are the two largest cocoa producers in the world.
Considering the opinions and concerns of the Cocoa farmers and stakeholders present at SEND, John Osei Frimpong confirmed that he would share what he had learned in discussions with key decision-makers.
We are doing our best in that sector and I believe what I have learned here I will also take it up with the COCOBOD people and we will discuss it. I believe we can work on it. The pricing alone may not determine the sustainability of the sector, but at least the welfare of the farmer is also important so we are putting in place a lot of programmes that will cushion the farmer so they wouldn’t feel the heat that much. Within a few years, we will resolve any issues in the sector,
John Osei Frimpong, MP, Abirem
The two-day SEND Conference on Living Income and Human Rights in Ghana’s Cocoa Sector was held at the AH Hotel in Accra and started on 9 November.
The conference brings together key stakeholders in the Cocoa sector to discuss human rights issues and to develop and implement policies that improve the well-being of Cocoa farmers and farming communities.
