Nkum (C/R) September 30, GNA - Mr. Charles Awusi, Marketing Clerk of Produce Buying Company at Agona Nkum in the Agona District was on Friday attacked and chased out of his society shed by some angry cocoa farmers from the area for not paying bonuses due them.

The farmers, apart from retrieving some bags of cocoa beans, locked and kept the keys to the shed.

Mr. Andrews Opoku, a spokesman for the farmers, said they had not received 2005/2006 bonuses released by the government. He said several efforts made by them to convince the Clerk and the District Manager to pay their bonuses proved futile, hence their action. Mr. Awusi confirmed to the GNA that he did not pay bonuses due to about 45 farmers and said it was due to Mr. John K Agudey, the District Manager's, failure to give him the money to pay the farmers. Mr. Awusi said each time he contacted Mr. Agudey on the farmers bonuses he kept on giving excuses.

Mr. Agudey said failure to pay the bonuses was as a result of bottlenecks at the district administration and that efforts were being made to pay the farmers.