National Democratic Congress (NDC) bigwig, Sam P. Yalley is urging government to ensure the processing of the country’s cocoa beans for exports in order to allow for value addition and to maximize the potential of the sector.
‘’For how long are we going to stay where we are and don’t do what is right? If you know you are trading in commodities which prices are seasonal or depends on certain other factors, you forward features. You sell your cocoa ahead and lock the price, is that what CMB is doing?’’ he argued.
According to him, the country seem to resign to the business-as-usual trend in which the quest to add value to the country’s raw materials, particularly cocoa has been relegated to the background.
Speaking on Accra based radio gold and monitored by BestNewsGH.com, Mr. Yalley who is also Ghana’s former ambassador to India, said the country’s situation is pathetic saying ‘’we have the best cocoa in the world. We have slipped to second place in terms of production in the world, yet we don’t have a say in the pricing of the commodity. America doesn’t have a single cocoa tree, but they determine cocoa prices for us’’.
He wants government to take the issue seriously and institute measures that will speed up processes that will open up the economy through the establishment of cocoa processing factories in the country, while initiating steps to further increase production.
Source: BestNewsGH.com
