Kwameseikrom (Brong Ahafo) – The National Chief Farmer, Nana Ahyna Kpayiri has disclosed that the government has spent ?242bn on this year's cocoa spraying exercise.

He was speaking at an anti-cocoa smuggling rally organised by the Brong-Ahafo Regional Branch of Ghana Cocoa Coffee Farmers Association at Kwameseikrom in the Jaman District of the Region.

The rally was aimed at sensitising farmers in the area of the negative effects that the smuggling of cocoa, fuel and other local products to neighbouring countries had on the national economy.

Nana Kpayiri emphasised that smuggling greatly affected the Government's repayment efforts by COCOBOD to repay international loans contracted under the "forward sales" term of reference and advised against the practice.

The National Chief Farmer, who is also Chief of Awiabo, near Axim in the Western Region noted that the Government recognised the important role cocoa farmers play in national economy.

"The government will do everything possible to rekindle the interest of cocoa farmers to enable the nation to recapture her former status as the world's leading cocoa producer".

The recent campaign against cocoa smuggling by the Minister of Defence and the Chief Executive of COCOBOD at some of the nation's border towns testify to this fact, Nana Kpayiri said.

He called for the payment of cocoa farmers for their produce through passbook/cheque system to qualify them for bank loans.

The National Chief Farmer commended the Omanhene of Enchi for his recent pronouncement that his traditional council would confiscate the farm of any cocoa farmer caught smuggling the produce and asked traditional rulers in the Jaman District to emulate the Enchi Omanhene.

Nana Tutu Abban III, Central Regional Chief Farmer, complained about some cocoa farmers who absented themselves during the recent cocoa spraying exercise.

Such absentee farmers make much noise against the exercise, he said, and advised cocoa farmers to ensure their presence to supervise spraying agents for effective work in the next spraying exercise.

Nana Abban advised cocoa farmers in Brong Ahafo to encourage their children to go to school so that their brilliant and needy students could qualify for government scholarships.

On farmers' bank loans, he said investigations had proved that cocoa farmers who received cash for the sale of their cocoa did not get bank loans and advised such farmers to shift from that "cash-down" payment practice to the "bank cheque" payment to attract assistance from the banks.

Victor Hyde, Acting Brong-Ahafo Regional Immigration Commander who said he had been familiar with the Kwameseikrom border-post for 12 years, called on chiefs and people in the area to assist security agencies in checking smuggling in the area.

Daniel Dalle, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in-charge of Jaman District, asked cocoa farmers on the Ghana-Cote d'Ivoire border to alert the police of the activities of smugglers.

Alex Narh Okunor, Brong-Ahafo Regional Commander of Custom, Excise and Preventive Services (CEPS) announced that his outfit had instituted an award for any informant whose tip-off would cause the arrest of a cocoa or fuel smuggler.

The CEPS officer said the informant would be given one-third of the cost of the confiscated commodity. In a welcoming address, Nana Agyei Damoah, Brong-Ahafo Regional Farmer, appealed to the National Chief Farmer to include cashew farmers in the Region in the Association.

He said most farmers at Kwameseikrom and Sampa had embraced cashew cultivation and needed assistance to boost their morale.

Nana Damoah announced that his outfit had formed a "burnt cocoa farmers association", aimed at assisting farmers in the region to replant burnt cocoa farms and appealed to the National Chief Farmer to help the Association to acquire cocoa seedlings to ensure the success of the purpose for which it was formed.