Farmers rejects $100m cocoa tools purchased in 2019; Board expresses concern

Board members of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) have expressed concerns about $100 million used to procure pruners and slashers in 2019, meant for use by cocoa farmers, which have been declared not fit for purpose by the cocoa farmers.
Another $100 million used to purchase digital weighing scales under the previous Akufo-Addo administration in 2019 was also rejected by the cocoa farmers, who revealed they do not meet the required standards, as the majority were broken.

According to the farmers, the $100 million slashers and pruners procured are too heavy to be carried on the back and also too short to reach the length of the cocoa trees.

Hundreds of boxes of these pruners and slashers that have been abandoned at a COCOBOD warehouse at Bosuso in the Fanteakwa South District were discovered on Thursday, March 12, during a tour by the board members who are visiting some cocoa farms in the Eastern Region.

Deputy CEO of COCOBOD in charge of operations, Dr James Kofi Kutsoati, said the slashers and pruners have been locked away since their procurement.

“We had reports that some slashers were bought for use by farmers, and the reports we also had were that the slashers’ poles were shorter, and then they brought in the longer ones.

“The longer ones were, however, heavy, and the farmers could not carry them, so they brought them to the warehouses, and they are lying down, doing nothing.

“We had the idea that $100 million was used to procure the slashers and pruners.”