The Ashanti regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party has lavished praise on President Akufo-Addo for exposing the lies and gloomy picture former President Mahama painted to cocoa farmers during his Western North regional tour.

Mr. Bernard Antwi-Boasiako noted that the unapologetic stance taken by former President Mahama even after he had been exposed was baffling and must not be encouraged.

He wonders if the former President might be touring under the influence of "vodka" noting that "I am very surprised he has started touring and the only message he prepared is lies. Could it be that he is touring under the influence of vodka? Can't he even learn from great scholars like President Akufo-Addo? Is politics all about lies to him? He must behave and stop trivializing serious issues that has to do with the cocoa sector".

Mr. Bernard Antwi-Boasiako further noted that with the challenge thrown to Mr. Mahama by Preident Akufo-Addo on the issue of cocoa production, the former must come out and name one single policy that he implemented under his regime to increase production.

The NPP scribe popularly known as Chairman Wontumi indicated that "when it comes to intellectual challenge, Mahama would never show up or speak out. But if it is about propaganda, he would be the first to speak out".

Following a statement by former President Mahama that he feels sad for Ghanaian cocoa farmers because the current government isnt doing enough to help them, President Akufo-Addo, has challenged his predecessor to name a single policy his government introduced to boost the production of cocoa in Ghana.

Addressing a durbar of Chiefs at Daboase, in the Wassa East district of the Western Region, on Tuesday, 23rd July, 2019, President Akufo-Addo noted that the government of President Kufuor moved cocoa production from some 350,000 metric tonnes at the end of the year 2000 to 750,000 tonnes at the end of 2008, and had projected Ghana to hit the million metric tonnes by 2010, a feat which was realized under the late President Mills.

President Akufo-Addo stated that “President Mahama came to meet a production level of 1 million tonnes, and yet, by the end of his tenure, it had dropped to barely 700,000 tonnes.

Today, under my Government, it has risen to 900,000 tonnes, and yet you (Mahama) are going around, offering fake solidarity to the cocoa farmers, shedding crocodile tears in front of cocoa farmers, that you have done something to improve the lot of cocoa farmers. These are crocodile tears,” the President said.

With the introduction of his government’s policies such as the hand pollination, mass pruning of cocoa trees using motorized pruners, early spraying of cocoa farms, motorized slashers to replace the use of machetes, and the piloting of irrigation schemes for cocoa farms to ensure all year-round production, President Akufo-Addo threw a challenge to his predecessor.

“When Hon. J.B. Aidoo was speaking, he asked for one policy of the previous NDC government that has boosted agricultural production and cocoa production. I want to hear from them what they are going to say to this challenge. We are challenging them to come and tell us what they have done that is boosting agricultural and cocoa production in Ghana. I can tell you the answer in advance – Zero! Zero! Zero!” the President stressed.