Hohoe (V/R), Sept. 15, GNA - The leader of the Anti-Cocoa Smuggling Task Force in the Hohoe District has called on farmers living along the borders to be patriotic by refraining from smuggling activities.

Warrant Officer II, Emmanuel Afful made the call at a reception organised by OLAM Ghana Limited, a private cocoa buying company for farmers and purchasing clerks of the company at Hohoe on Sunday. He reminded the farmers that it was the proceeds from the sale of cocoa that is used for development projects in the country.

W/O II Afful therefore, urged the farmers to expose those engaged in the smuggling of the produce in their various communities. Mr Ransford Korda, Volta Regional Manager of the Quality Control Division of the Ghana Cocoa Board, said private cocoa companies were allowed by the government to engage in the purchasing of cocoa to save farmers from government purchasing clerks who were using their monopoly to cheat.

He, therefore, urged purchasing clerks and management of purchasing companies to take proper care of cocoa farmers to enable them stop the smuggling of cocoa.

"Engage in prompt payment of cocoa bought and pay their bonuses every year, this and other motivations would stop them from smuggling their cocoa," he said.

Mr Yakubu Musah, the Volta Regional Zonal Head of OLAM said the company has introduced a special award scheme for purchasing clerks in all the 46 societies of the company. He therefore, advised the clerks to work harder than before to enable more farmers to sell their produce to the company.