Majority urges Mahama to assent to Cocoa Board Bill before new season

The Majority in Parliament is urging President John Dramani Mahama to approve the Ghana Cocoa Board Bill, emphasizing its role in providing enhanced financial security for cocoa farmers prior to the upcoming cocoa season. The legislation is said to guarantee cocoa farmers 70% of the world market price realized by the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), highlighting it as a critical step to ensure farmers reap greater rewards from international cocoa market trends.

This demand came after the Minority in Parliament urged Mahama to send the Bill back for more stakeholder deliberations, raising concerns about certain clauses and advocating for more pre-signing discussions. Responding to Citi News, Kwami Dzudzorli Gakpey, Vice Chairman of Parliament’s Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee and Keta MP, dismissed the Minority's apprehensions as a tactic to obstruct the legislation, labeling their opposition as "cheap propaganda."

He also defended the necessity of regulatory oversight in the cocoa industry through the lens of environmental laws governing tree felling. Gakpey urged Mahama to swiftly endorse the Bill, stressing the urgency due to the impending new cocoa season. He stated, "I will urge the President, as a matter of urgency, to sign the Bill into law, and then we move on because the season is just coming. That is why we took the Bill under a certificate of urgency to satisfy the need."