MP Raises Controversy Over Cocoa Scholarships

THE MEMBER of Parliament (MP) for Asunafo South, Hon. Eric Opoku, has argued that the current procedure for the award of Ghana Cocoa Board's scholarships to only wards of cocoa farm owners is improper and amounts to gross cheating of cocoa farm caretakers.

The 36-yearold Legislator, who represents one of the key cocoa producing constituencies in the country, explained to The Chronicle that under the traditional 'Abusah' system of farming practiced in cocoa growing areas, coca farm caretakers are entitled to a third of the total yield per annum.

"The caretakers are responsible for weeding the farm, harvesting, fermenting and drying of the cocoa beans as well as carrying out other activities, until the produce is purchased. For this work, they are entitled to one-third of whatever is harvested. So to have a situation like the current one where the sons and daughters of these caretaker farmers cannot also benefit from the cocoa scholarship, is to say the least, very unfair," he analysed.

The MP said, for the scheme to be fair, it should be designed such that one-third of the Board's scholarships awarded each year, would go to children of cocoa farm caretakers with the farm owners taking the remaining two-thirds.

"As at now for one to qualify for an award of the Board's scholarship, one must have a pass book. Since it is only the owners of the cocoa farms who have the passbooks, what it means is that they are those who qualify. But we all know the great role played by the caretakers.

So all I am saying us that the system must be changed so that the care takers can also benefit," Mr. Opoku emphasized.

He went on to explain that in the 2006 budget, the total amount deducted into the Board's scholarship was ¢15billion. He argued that if the amount had not been deducted into the scholarship fund, it would have gone to cocoa farmers with caretakers being entitled to ¢5billion of the amount.

"So if ¢5billion that is supposed to have gone to caretakers has been deducted into the scholarship fund, then why can we make it such that the same caretakers cannot benefit from their own contribution to the fund?" he questioned.

The Asunafo South MP therefore called on the Board to change the current procedure for the award of its scholarship and structure it such that, sons and daughters of farm caretakers could also benefit from the scheme.