The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has issued a stern warning to licensed companies that buy cocoa from farmers, following reports that they are short-changing the farmers.
COCOBOD said it “has noted with deep concern, reports of adjustment of weighing scales by some purchasing clerks (PCs) and their accomplices in a bid to cheat the farmers.”
The regulator said it considers this as “a very serious offence.”
[contextly_sidebar id=”zXf7eCIp2bFDjUnn5cIR1sPvsY8JRedw”]It noted that it is illegal for any Licensed Buying Company (LBC) or their representative to purchase cocoa beans with weighing scales which are different from what has been certified by the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA).
As recently announced by COCOBOD, a bag of 64kg of cocoa is to be sold at three hundred and fifty Ghana Cedis (GH¢350.00).
COCOBOD has therefore advised all Cocoa, Coffee and Sheanut farmers, who suspect any manipulation of scales used by Purchasing Clerks in their localities, to immediately report to them or the police for investigation.
A statement released by COCOBOD indicated that its officials and operatives from the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and National Security will be on the field to check and arrest Purchasing Clerks who do not heed to this caution for prosecution.
COCOBOD also said it will continue to monitor activities of the Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) to ensure sanity in the cocoa industry.
COCOBOD has supported the Ghana Cocoa, Coffee and Sheanut Farmers Association to Purchase weighing scales and test stones to monitor activities of Purchasing Clerks.
The scales and test stones have been distributed to the cocoa communities.
Government has also announced it will pay GHS 5.00 bonus per bag of cocoa to farmers in the 2014/2015 crop season.
COCOBOD has received 1.7 billion dollars from partner banks to purchase cocoa beans for the 2014/2015 cocoa season.
This was after a Cocobod syndicated loan in September was oversubscribed by about 15 percent.
By: Nana Boakye-Yiadom/citifmonline.com/Ghana