Cocoa farmers in the Ashanti Akim-South District are crying foul over the distribution of chemicals and other inputs under the Cocoa Disease and Pest Control Programme (CODAPEC).
They claim there is lack of equity, openness and transparency in the way things are being done.
They have therefore called for fairness in the implementation of the programme which was an intervention introduced by the COCOBOD to improve crop yield, to facilitate maximum yield.
Mr Suleiman Seidu, one of the aggrieved farmers at Juaso, told Ghana News Agency that he found it disheartening that for more than two years “my farm has not been sprayed”, while some of his colleagues have no problems getting assistance from CODAPEC.
“They are having their farms regularly sprayed. Clearly, there cannot be any justification for such plain act of discrimination,” he added.
His sentiments were shared by many at Yaw-Bronya, Dankame, Yawkwei, Banso and Atwedie.
At Yawkwei, Mr Simon Naagmineboon, said the farmers are only asking for fair treatment, to raise output and returns.
Reporters of the nation’s wire service visited the area under STAR-Ghana’s sponsored media auditing and tracking of development projects initiative launched to put the spotlight on how government’s resources are helping to transform the lives of the people, particularly the rural communities
STAR- Ghana, a multi-donor pooled organisation aims at promoting transparency, accountability and good governance.
Mr Stephen Kwame Acheampong, District Manager of Quality Control Division of COCOBOD, said his outfit has taken steps to streamline the exercise and asked the farmers to remain calm.
He said the district and community committees overseeing the implementation of the programme have been reconstituted to efficiently tackle the challenges.
