COCOBOD Clears Air On Corruption Scandals

The Supreme Consultative Council of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has debunked media reports that bad management, corruption and politicization in the supply of inputs to cocoa farmers have led to the sharp reduction in Ghana's cocoa production this year.

According to the Council, the reports were not only libelous but injurious to the reputation of Dr. Stephen Opuni, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of COCOBOD, who it said, was working hard to improve the nation's cocoa industry.

Chairman of the Council, Alhaji Idris Hassan, in an address at the Ghana Cocoa Board emergency general meeting held at the COCOBOD headquarters in Accra last Friday, said some persons were peeved by certain best practices that Dr. Opuni had adopted to ensure sanity in the cocoa sector, stating that they were spreading misleading information to the general public through the press.

Reports
It would be recalled that New Statesman published a news item on its front page on June 19, this year titled: 'Opuni ‘killing' Ghana cocoa: $600m lost this season.'

The Enquirer Newspaper also published similar story but later retracted it, admitting that 'the said story was not fair to the reputation and integrity of the CEO of COCOBOD Dr. Stephen Opuni.'

Both stories alleged that bad management, corruption and politicization of supply of inputs to cocoa farmers by the COCOBOD, particularly its CEO had led to a shortfall of some 200,000 tonnes as against the anticipated 900,000 tonnes, for which Ghana Cocoa Board in September 2014 borrowed a syndicated loan of US1.7 billion for the 2014/2015 farming season.

'The cost to Ghana may be over $600 million in lost revenue and a more enduring loss of a century-old global reputation of Ghana as a dependable supplier of premium cocoa,' Nana Attobrah Quaicoe, Head of Research for the Danquah Institute was quoted as saying.

But Mr. Idris Hassan stated emphatically that 'there was no truth in the stories.'

He indicated that 'some businessmen, government officials and staff of COCOBOD, who are peeved because of the strict measures that have been put in place to efficiently run COCOBOD, are the ones carrying such falsehoods.'

'Hard Changes'
Initially fertilizers and other farm inputs were given to businessmen and politicians by COCOBOD to be resold to farmers but since Dr. Opuni took over, the trend has been reversed and farm inputs were being given directly to farmers by the COCOBOD free of charge, according to him.

He disclosed that the decision angered some businessmen and politicians, as well as senior staff members of COCOBOD who were serving as middlemen between the COCOBOD and cocoa farmers.

Arrests
Mr. Idris Hassan also denied reports that some staff of COCOBOD were distributing fertilizers to party's supporters across the country, saying those who were engaged in the act had been arrested.

He stated that 'however, we are humans and some of our workers might still be engaged in this act but all I can say is that we are giving fertilizers to farmers for free.'

Debts
Commenting on some challenges affecting the smooth operations of the COCOBOD, Mr. Idris Hassan noted that the current management of the Ghana Cocoa Board inherited huge debts from the previous one which it was struggling to repay.

BY Melvin Tarlue
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