Licensed cocoa buying companies meet farmers at Mim

Mim (B/A), Oct. 14, GNA- Cocoa farmers in Asunafo District of Brong Ahafo have resolved to ensure that all bags of cocoa that leave the district bear the district's seal.

The decision is part of measures adopted at a meeting organized by Adwumapa Buyers and Produce Buying Company (PBC) at Mim to discuss problems facing farmers with regards to production.

They said though the bulk of cocoa produced at Ahafo come from the Mim District, very little was known about the District because most of the cocoa buying companies in the area were not resident in the area. More than 54,000 bags of cocoa were purchased from the district last year but only 15,000 bags bought by the Produce Buying Company (PBC) were labelled with Mim seal, they said.

The meeting, therefore, directed all purchasing companies doing business in the area to open offices and depots to assist the farmers whenever they needed assistance.

Mr Ben Osei Kufuor, Member of Parliament for Asunafo North, urged both buyers and producers to make sure that the government's policy to pay farmers through the Akuafo Cheque system was implemented to avoid the numerous problems associated with cash purchases.

The Mim Depot Keeper for Adwumapa, Nana Osei Bofah, advised farmers to sell their produce to recognized purchasing clerks to avoid cheating.