Cocoa purchases for the 2002/2003 season has reached 375,000 metric tons compared to the total of 305,000 metric tons bought in the 2001/2002 season, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Minister of Finance, announced in Kumasi on Wednesday.

He said cocoa production was expected to increase to 400,000 metric tons by the end of 2002-2003 main crop seasons. Osafo-Maafo, who was giving highlights of this year's Budget, recently presented to Parliament, at a public forum, said the government expected production to hit 450,000 metric tons by the end of 2004.

He attributed the increase in production to the mass cocoa spraying exercise embarked upon by the government last year and said the programme would be continued. Osafo-Maafo said government would also continue to increase the producer price of cocoa and scholarships for children and wards of cocoa farmers.

He said 15bn cedis had been earmarked in the budget for the rehabilitation of roads in cocoa growing areas throughout the country. The Finance Minister stated that the primary focus of the 2003 budget was to improve road infrastructure, education, health and telecommunications.

He also said the National Health Insurance Scheme would be launched this year. Osafo-Maafo reiterated that private lottery operations in the country would be abolished saying, the government was currently fashioning out strategies that would absorb agents and writers of the private operators into the new expanded national lottery adding that private lotto operators would not be allowed to cheat the nation again.

He hinted that Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), would now use weight instead of invoices to calculate import duties on poultry products, adding that, revenue accruing from the 20 per cent additional import duties announced in this year's budget would be set aside to support the poultry industry in the country.

Osafo-Maafo cautioned pharmacies and importers of essential drugs that had been exempted from Value Added Tax (VAT) and import duties in the budget against selling the drugs at higher prices. He said government was expecting that prices of these drugs would be reduced to conform to the wavering of the taxes.

He advised Ghanaians to assist the government in its revenue mobilisation efforts by reporting individuals and organisations that were evading taxes and cheating the nation.