The Kuapa Kokoo Cooperative Cocoa Farmers and Marketing Union Limited (KKFU) has held its 29th Annual Delegates Congress in Kumasi to elect new executives to steer the affairs of the Union for the next four years.
The event, held at the Kumasi Technical University (KsTU), was attended by 284 delegates drawn from 57 societies in the Western North, Western, Ashanti, Bono, Central, Ahafo and Eastern regions.
The former Vice President of the Union, James Agyekum Kwarteng, was elected unopposed as President, whilst Ernest Boateng emerged his Vice.
Other elected executives included Cecilia Appianim, Treasurer, and Samuel Osei Yeboah, Assistant Treasurer.
Messrs Adams Alhassan, Patrick Awutey and Mary Kosi were elected executive members.
Lawyer Emmanuel Kwabena Arthur, Managing Director of the Union, commended members of the Union, especially, the farmers and staff, for their commitment and contributions towards a successful election.
He affirmed the Union’s belief in democracy, transparency and accountability, and pledged that the management and staff would continue to ensure that they worked cordially with the farmers to make the company one of the most viable business entities by improving the standard of living of farmers.
He bemoaned illegal mining (galamsey) activities as a major challenge to the cocoa farmers, and urged the government and policy makers in the mining sector to fight the menace with all the seriousness it deserves to save the cocoa industry from collapse.
He also appealed to the government, through the Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), to extend the cocoa farmers scholarship to the tertiary level.
Mr. Solomon Boateng, Executive Secretary of Kuapa Kooko Farmers Union (KKFU), commended the government, through COCOBOD, for the new price of cocoa.
According to him, the increment would enable farmers to improve upon their lives, even though they were not better off compared to the farm gate price to a tonne of cocoa on the international market.
He urged the government to revamp the mass spraying exercise for the farmers and replace the aged cocoa trees with new ones, and compensate the farmers who deserved compensation.
According to him, Ghana did not meet the target last year, because the mass spraying was not properly done.
Mr. Boateng also pleaded with the government to subsidise prices of imported farm inputs.
Mr. James Agyekum, the newly elected President of the Association, assured the commitment of the new executives to reconcile the factions in the company and make it strong and vibrant as it used to be in the interest of members.
He assured that the new leadership would be accountable and transparent to the members.
The new President commended the delegates and pledged to work within the constitution of the Union by applying accountability, transparency, fairness and upholding the tenets of democracy in the running of the Union.
