Former Member of Parliament for Sefwi-Wiawso, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, has strongly criticised the National Democratic Congress (NDC) over their handling of cocoa pricing, describing some of their promises as “irresponsible.”
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Dr. Afriyie explained that the main objective of the Cocoa Board (Cocobod) and the Cocoa Marketing Board (CMB) framework is price stabilization.
“The aim is to allow farmers to focus on agronomy, land use, and proper forecasting,” he said, stressing that stable pricing is critical to the sector.
Ahead of the 2024 elections, cocoa pricing became a central campaign issue. The NDC pledged to increase producer prices to GHC 6,000 per 64kg bag, making farmer welfare a key message across the Western, Ashanti, Eastern, and Ahafo cocoa belts.
But Dr. Afriyie condemned the NDC’s approach, saying, “When the NDC was using spot price and promising to pay ₵6,000, I was completely mortified. In fact, it was irresponsible because I expected them to know better. You cannot use spot price for political prices.”
He likened the mistake to selling cassava out of season, when prices naturally fluctuate between the rainy and dry seasons.
“During the rainy season, it is 250 per basket, then you decided to sell it for 900 all year round. It doesn’t make sense. That was what the NDC did,” he said.
The former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI) expressed particular surprise that these statements came not from ordinary NDC members but from prominent figures, including Asunafo South MP, now Minister for Food and Agriculture, Ajumako Enyan Essiam MP, and Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, who currently serves as Finance Minister.
“I was shocked because I know the industry inside out,” Dr. Afriyie noted.
While he admitted using strong words, he insisted he owed no apologies, emphasising that his statements were grounded in concern for the cocoa sector’s stability.
However, Dr. Afriyie clarified that his critique does not imply that politicians are inherently malicious.
“Politics, at its core, is about improving the lives of people. It is one of the most noble things anybody can do, aside from church,” he said, highlighting the positive purpose of political engagement.
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