General News of Tuesday, 17 June 2008

Source: GNA

Purchasing Clerks refuse to pay cocoa bonuses

Anum Apapam (E/R), June 17 GNA - Many Cocoa Purchasing Clerks (PCs) of some of the Licensed Cocoa Buying Companies (LBCs) have capitalised on the ignorance of some farmers in the country, to cheat them in the payment of bonuses due them. Mr Daniel Ohene, a cocoa farmer at Anum Apapam in the Suhum Kraboa Coaltar District, has complained about the refusal of PCs to pay them their bonuses. Mr Ohene, whose farms are at Ebenezer, a village between Anum Apapam and Kofi Pare, told the GNA that some PCs carried hanging scales to the village to purchase cocoa beans, which were not rpt not thoroughly dried, in disregard to Ghana Cocoa Board's (COCOBOD) directives not to use such scales. He complained that the PC, who bought his cocoa, had refused to pay him his bonus and appealed to COCOBOD to intensify its supervision of PCs to stop them from cheating farmers.