Bosomtwe MP wants GH¢80 bonus for cocoa farmers ... In order to save loss of GH¢253.70bn

THE MEMBER of Parliament (MP) for Bosomtwe, Mr. Simon Osei-Mensah, has urged the government to pay cocoa farmers a bonus of GH¢80 per tonne for the 2008/2009 main crop, and not the GH¢40, as indicated in the 2010 budget estimates.

The government has proposed to pay cocoa farmers a total bonus of GH¢50,739,724 for the main crop in the 2010 budget, which works out to GH¢40 per tonne, but the MP says the farmers would be cheated by a whopping amount of GH¢25,369,862, if this rate is used.

As a result, Mr. Osei-Mensah has urged the government to pay a bonus of GH¢80 per tonne, since the payment of GH¢40 would impoverish the economies of cocoa farmers by a whopping GH¢25,369,862, or ¢253,698,620,000 (in old currency).

He noted in a statement to the media over the weekend that the bonus was paid only on main crop purchases, and that the total main crop purchases for 2008/2009, was 634,246.5 metric tonnes.

“So if the total budgeted bonus for the 20008/2009 main crop is GH¢50,739,724, it works out to GH¢80, and not GH¢40, as presented in the budget.”

According to the MP, this would definitely enrich the economies of 'Ghost Cocoa Farmers' by an equivalent amount.

He recommended that the payment of GH¢80 per tonne, must start in the 2008/2009 season, because the cocoa farmers have had enough of the cheating, and should be saved from further losses.