Ahafo cocoa farmers demand urgent action as smuggling threatens livelihoods and national economy
Cocoa farmers in the Ahafo Region condemned the ongoing cross-border smuggling of cocoa beans, branding the illicit trade as a "nation-wrecking" crisis that threatens their livelihood and the country's economic backbone. Speaking at the 14th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Asunafo North Municipal Cooperative Cocoa Farmers and Marketing Union in Goaso on Thursday, June 25, Union President Emmanuel Sarpong demanded immediate and aggressive state interventions to permanently block all smuggling channels.
Mr. Sarpong warned that blending inferior, foreign-smuggled beans with authentic Ghanaian produce will severely dent Ghana's hard-earned global reputation as the world's premier producer of premium-quality cocoa. He also noted that the illegal influx permits foreign syndicates to unlawfully extract financial resources from Ghana's economic system. National Security officials recently impounded heavy trucks loaded with 300 bags of illicit cocoa beans smuggled from neighboring countries into the border communities of the Asunafo North Municipality. The drivers were arrested on the spot, and the contraband cargo was shipped directly to Accra for the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
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Cocoa farmers in Ghana's Ahafo Region are demanding urgent government action against cross-border smuggling of cocoa beans. This illicit trade
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