ANOTHER BAWU-BLUNDER. Greetings Dr.Mamoudu Bawmia

ANOTHER BAWU-BLUNDER.

Greetings Dr.Mamoudu Bawmia,

I just read your tweet on our current state of cocoa production and detected huge flaws with the figures presented. It is within your academic right to scrutinize government’s performance with cocoa sector but in doing so one expect an academician of your calibre to expand the scope of your indicators than the narrowed assessment captured therein.

Some of our economists have been mainly concerned with the fairness of the distribution pattern in the country, while others have been concerned with the fairness of the distributive pattern by which the pattern has come about.Many bases have been advanced for judging the fairness of distributive patterns and of claims for particular changes in them.This and many other simple normal economic trends are what we must concern ourselves with this 21st century. We have politicize sensitive national issues enough. The cocoa industry or sector was once used as the platform for the formation of the tradition you find yourself today.Around 1955,it accounted for 68% of our export.On August 1954 government introduced the Cocoa Duty Development Fund Amendment Bill which was vehemently opposed by your forebears.The effect of the bill was to fix price paid to the cocoa farmer at 72 shillings a load which would have amounted to 6 pounds for four years.Government guaranteed to pay this price irrespective of how low the world price might fall .This is the same policy adopted by this administration with price for the commodity. Price of cocoa bean during the major or lean season remain same with government making some loses during the lean season because of bean quality. Your forebears formed the Council for Higher Cocoa Prices which was later succeeded by the National Liberation Movement.They incited the farmers most them found in their strongholds to support a federal system of government just to make the system ungovernable and to weaken the powers of the CPP administration.

Cocoa is the mainstay of Ghana’s economy it account for huge percentage of our local as well as international revenue. In order to acknowledge the country’s debt to cocoa, the government of President John Dramani Mahama has taken various steps all aimed at promoting this vital sector of the economy.For decades,since our governments were preoccupied among other important agricultural pursuit, the welfare of the farmers and the problems of cocoa production did not appear to have received the special they deserved. To give due recognition to the invaluable contribution of the cocoa farmers towards the economic development of the country, government

1.Intenfied the free fertilizer distribution to our farmers

2.Free hybrid seeds were distributed to our farmers

3.Well trained extension officers visit the farmers to guide them.

4.Price of cocoa (buying) was adjusted up above prevailing prices in the sub- region.

5.New Cocoa roads are being constructed across the country from the syndicated loan facility.Old roads are also undergoing serious construction.

6.First class medical facility as well as first aid facility points like the chip compounds provided across the country.

7.Government is determined to extend schools to every district, cottage etc to enable wards of these farmers have the opportunity of going through formal education.

8.Government has instituted !measures to streamline the cocoa board scholarship for wards of cocoa farmers at the tertiary level apart from the free day secondary education

I cannot enumerate all the positives here but I think Doc should veer of the propaganda zone and situate his argument within the normal academic realm.

The free spraying exercise and the new policy to distribute spraying machines,insecticides, matchets are all measures going to augment our production level.

To sound more academic,the doctor ought to have considered the investment channeled into the sector and the likely medium to longterm benefits we going to accrue. We must also consider our agreement with the China exim bank.Part of our cocoa still serve as collateral for loan contracted for the bui dam.