The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has thrown a direct challenge to the New Patriotic Party (NPP), daring their affiliated businessmen to enter the cocoa trade if they truly believe the global market prices are as high as their Members of Parliament claim.
Speaking to a massive crowd in the Atwima Mponua constituency during the second phase of his “Thank You” tour in the Ashanti Region, the veteran politician, popularly known as “General Mosquito,” dismissed recent claims by the NPP regarding cocoa valuation as mere political propaganda.
Addressing the farmers and residents of the cocoa-rich constituency, Asiedu Nketiah criticized the opposition for what he described as a “deceptive narrative” focused on inciting farmers against the current administration’s producer price.
“If cocoa price is good in the global market as NPP MPs are propagating, the Government is ready to give the NPP businessmen the opportunity to buy the cocoa at the prices they are alluding to, so they can make more profit for themselves,” Asiedu Nketiah stated emphatically.
The NDC Chairman argued that if the international market offered such a lucrative windfall as suggested by NPP communicators, the party’s own business class would be rushing to purchase the beans directly from farmers at those supposed premiums. His comments come amidst a heated national debate over the farm-gate price of cocoa, with the NPP frequently claiming that the government is short-changing farmers despite rising global trends.
Asiedu Nketiah urged the people of Atwima Mponua to be discerning and to confront NPP representatives with tough questions when they visit the area.
“When they come to you with these stories, ask them: if the business is so profitable at the rates they are quoting, why aren’t they putting their money where their mouths are? Ask them why their own businessmen are not lining up to buy the cocoa at those prices and export it themselves,” he added.
The tour, which is aimed at expressing gratitude to party faithful and mobilizing support for the NDC 2024 last general elections, has seen the National Chairman traverse several key constituencies in the Ashanti Region—a traditional stronghold of the NPP where the NDC is looking to make significant inroads.
Throughout the tour, Asiedu Nketiah has focused heavily on the economy, agriculture, and the plight of the rural farmer, positioning the NDC as the party with a more realistic and transparent approach to the cocoa sector.
As the second phase of his tour continues, the NDC leadership remains confident that messages such as this will resonate with cocoa farmers who are grappling with the high cost of living and inputs.
