Ex-Ghana’s leader Mahama trashes President Akufo-Addo over free fertilizer project
Agency report
Former president John Dramani Mahama has been reported to have said he feels bad and sorry for the plight of cocoa farmers under the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), adding that it was wicked on the part of President Akufo-Addo to stop the supply of free fertilisers to cocoa farmers and rather allow the fertilisers to expire.
He said the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration implemented some good policies for cocoa farmers, but all that has been undone by the current government.
Mahama was quoted to have made the statement during an interaction with cocoa farmers and the people of Enchi in the Aowin Constituency of the Western North Region.
“I feel very sad for our cocoa farmers. We had good plans and started implementing good policies for the cocoa sector,” he said.
According to him, cocoa farmers had better annual yields when the fertilisers were made free to them.
He, therefore, wondered why the Akufo-Addo government would halt such a move and rather sell the fertilisers to the cocoa farmers.
“When we started giving out free fertilisers, it was because we realised it will help improve yield, and in the 2016/17 crop year, we recorded 950,000 tons… I cannot understand why this government will decide to stop that and sell the fertilisers to the farmers.
“In fact, it is wickedness to leave the fertiliser in warehouses because the farmers cannot and won’t buy them, and throw them away after they expire,” he criticised.
