President John Evans Atta Mills has directed Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to come out with attractive cocoa producer price to encourage farmers to increase production. A tonne of cocoa currently sells at GH¢1,632.
Inaugurating a 30,000-tonne a year capacity state-of-the-art cocoa processing plant in Kumasi on Friday, President Mills said the Board should
also ensure that fertilizers are supplied to the farmers in good time to maximize crop yield.
"It is time COCOBOD came out with bold and innovative measures to support
the nation's hardworking farmers," he said.
The plant is the third processing facility in the country and is owned by
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), which has other cocoa processing and
manufacturing factories in Europe and America.
President Mills commended the previous Government for initiating the
process for the establishment of the factory and said the plant's
inauguration would not only add value to the country's cocoa but also help
to create job opportunities for the people.
His Administration, he said, is committed to encouraging direct foreign
investment, and that the Government would remain focused in making sure that
the necessary interventions were made to promote investment flow.
President Mills said the Company's presence fed into the Government's
agenda of job creation and investing in the people.
Madam Hannah Tetteh, Minister of Trade and Industry, spoke of the
Government's determination to sustain investor confidence in the national
economy, adding that, efforts were being made to address the challenges
industries were facing, especially, those operating in the Free Zones to
enhance efficiency.
Ghana needs to sustain cocoa production to provide enough raw materials for
industries in the sector, she said and appealed to the Management of ADM to
consider venturing into other areas like Soya bean processing in the
northern parts of the country to improve the incomes and living conditions
of the farmers.
The Akyempimhene, Oheneba Adusei Poku, who represented the Asantehene,
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, said the establishment of the plant had put Kumasi on
the map of ADM, which was one of the world's renowned chocolate and
confectionery producers and commended the Management of the Company for the
decision.
He noted that the factory would encourage cocoa farmers to increase output
and thereby improve their living standards and urged the Company to provide
support to cocoa farmers by way of inputs supply.
Oheneba Adusei Poku asked the Company to take cognizance of the rich
culture and heritage of the Asante Kingdom and to accord respect for
cherished values and traditions of the people.
The Akyempimhene appealed to the Government to give serious consideration
to the re-activation of some abandoned industries in the Ashanti Region to
help to create jobs for the youth.
Mr Tony Fofie, Chief Executive of COCOBOD, said the Board was poised to
diversify the cocoa sector to promote the processing of the cocoa beans
locally for export and domestic consumption. It has targeted to process
about 60 per cent of cocoa beans locally.
He asked cocoa processing companies to go beyond the intermediate
processing to the tertiary level to enable the country to derive maximum
benefits from their operations.
Mr Fofie said COCOBOD would work to increase cocoa production without
compromising on quality.
Mr John D. Rice, Executive Vice President, Commercial and Production of
ADM, said the new plant would enhance the ability of the Company to source
high quality cocoa beans from Ghana and position the Company to become the
preferred global supplier of cocoa and chocolate solutions.
He said the Company would initiate programmes with other partners to
promote the welfare of Ghanaian cocoa farmers.
Mr Kofi Opoku Manu, Ashanti Regional Minister, expressed the appreciation
of the chiefs and people to the Company and expressed the hope that it would
live up to its social responsibilities and work to support the people in the
Region in their socio-economic endeavours.
Dodowa(ER), Oct. 9, GNA -State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) have been asked
to make judicious use of state resources to achieve performance targets and
yield dividends to enhance the country's socio-economic development.
Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, made
the call at the closing session of a seminar jointly organised by MOFEP and
the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) at Dodowa on Friday.
It was to build the capacity of the participants on provisions of the
Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 633) and assist them to effectively manage
procurement in a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory manner.
Dr. Duffuor, in a speech read on his behalf, said though government was
expecting GH¢15 million from its investments in joint venture companies and
SOEs, only GH¢5.2 million had been paid to government chest by the end of
June 2009.
"To avert this trend and assist SOEs to operate profitably, the PPA
recommends the strict adherence to provisions of Act 633 to curb waste,
reduce fiscal risks and make savings for higher turnover," he said.
The Finance Minister observed that public procurement accounted for
about 70 per cent of government outflow and a critical component of
government expenditure that required efficient and prudent management.
"As key stakeholders and managers of SOEs, you are expected to attain a
good appreciation of the law that governs its practice to effectively make
good savings for your respective enterprises and government," he added.
Mr. Adjenim Boateng Adjei, Chief Executive Officer of PPA, said the Act
was enacted in December 2003 to ensure that public procurement were
undertaken in a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory manner using state
resources in a judicious and efficient way.
PPA was established in 2004 to harmonise the processes of procurement
in the public service and to secure a judicious, economic, and efficient use
of public funds.
It would in addition, ensure that public procurement was undertaken in
a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory manner while promoting
competition within the local industrial sector.