Ghana Cocoa Board warns buying companies to stop adjusting scales
The regulatory body of Ghana’s cocoa industry, one of the country’s leading foreign exchange earner, the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has expressed concern over the conduct of some Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs), as they adjust their weighing scales to cheat cocoa farmers.
In a tersely written press release issued in Accra Tuesday February 7, 2012 and copied to ghanabusinessnews.com, the COCOBOD said it has noted “with deep concern reports that some purchasing clerks (PCs) working for LBCs in some parts of the country have deliberately been adjusting their weighing scales to cheat cocoa farmers.”
The Board insists that the act is a serious crime and it deems it unacceptable.
According to the release, all LBCs are responsible for the provision of weighing scales which have been certified by the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) for the weighing of all produce offered to them.
“It should be noted that the GSA is the only organization mandated to ensure that scales used by LBCs for cocoa purchases are of the required standard,” it said.
“We, therefore, want to use this medium to direct all cocoa, coffee and sheanut farmers, who suspect any manipulation of scales used by purchasing clerks in their localities, to immediately report the cheating clerks to officials of the Ghana Standards Authority, COCOBOD or the police for investigation,” the release said, adding “The Board will continue to monitor activities of Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) to ensure sanity in the cocoa industry.”
By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi
Purchasing Clerks are unperturbed and insist that dried cocoa beans can not be bought with a free scale. It is a secret goldmine for the purchasing clerks and their immediate superiors. Until the problem of scale adjustment is solved,the problem of child labor will remain. Scale adjustment adds to cost of cocoa production
Its most unfortunate that the Purchasing Clerks (PCs) and their immediate superiors,the District Officers (DOs) are making huge fortunes from the sweat of cocoa farmers. Why all these illegalities. Please stop this criminality. At least those who did not know should now know that scale adjustment is not good. Its criminal, immoral, insensitive and all religions are against it. Pls let them enjoy their benefit of their sweat. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH . Proverbs 11:1, Jeremiah 17:11, Hosea 12:8
We need action from the COCOBOD, because what the Purchasing Clerks (PCs) are doing to cocoa farmers especially in the Sefwi area is is terrible. Scale adjustment margins of between 8kg -12kg have been observed in some communities. District Officers (DOs) are direct beneficiaries and are urging the Purchasing Clerks (PCs) to soldier on. Not even the distribution of weighing scales to cocoa producing communities, by COCOBOD, is enough to protect the farmers. The awareness is increasing because of few enlighten farmers, but the farmers can not fight the Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) who have enjoyed this illegality for long and are not ready to give it up. In my candid opinion: 1 COCOBOD should put its feet on the ground. 2 Arrest & prosecution of culprits . 3 Withdraw the licenses of notorious LBCs.