Takoradi, Feb. 13, GNA - A number of cocoa haulage truck owners within the Shama Ahanta East Metropolis, have commended the management of the Ghana COCOBOD for decongesting the Takoradi Harbour and reducing haulage turn-around time.

The truck owners said the practice where vehicles spent a month or two waiting at the Fijai by-pass, PWD Park, along the Main Harbour Road and other open spaces in the metropolis to off-load their cocoa beans at the Harbour, had greatly minimised since the decongestion exercise was started.

Speaking to the media on behalf of the truck owners in Takoradi on Monday, Mr Isaac Nketsia, a transport owner, commended the Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD Mr Isaac Osei and his management team for initiating the new measures to decongest not only the Harbour but also the entire metropolis, safeguarding their investments and minimising delays.

He said presently, the management of COCOBOD had assigned specific days for which cocoa from all licensed buying companies (LBCs) could be dispatched to the Harbour and arrangements were in place to receive the vehicles into the Harbour on a 93first come first served" basis. Mr Nketsia said many transport owners who out of frustration and losses over the long delays had abandoned the haulage of cocoa and ventured into other businesses were returning to their fold following the adoption of the new measures.

He suggested that serious efforts should be made to construct more warehousing facilities outside the Harbour to facilitate storage to prevent congestion saying, with the new measures in place cocoa haulage operators in Assin Foso and Assin Adubiase in the Central Region now preferred to use the Takoradi Harbour besides its proximity.

Mr Solomon Brenim, also a cocoa haulage truck owner appealed to all LBCs to adhere strictly to the laid down procedure to maintain the rapid and improved transportation and off-loading of cocoa.

A visit to the Takoradi Harbour by the Ghana News agency revealed that the new measures had made the off-loading of cocoa less stressful as the vehicles awaited their turns at the temporarily designated parks within the metropolis.

Officials of the COCOBOD in Takoradi, however, refused to speak to the media but referred them to the Board's Public Relations Officer in Accra.