Kofi Ofosu Boateng, the Bono Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has chastised the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and President John Dramani Mahama’s administration as ‘deceptive”, and unfriendly to cocoa and cashew farmers.

He said the NPP was worried that the government, being run by the NDC, had been unable to pay cocoa farmers, despite the NDC’s Election 2024 ‘juicy’ campaign promises to better the livelihoods of cocoa farmers in the country.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Sunyani on the one-year performance President John Mahama led administration, Mr Boateng described the present economic condition of cocoa farmers as worrying.

The NPP scribe said: “President Mahama was able to convince the ordinary cocoa farmer and woo their votes with his juicy and unrealistic campaign promises.

“But, now look at what is happening and what our cocoa farmers are going through. That shows the deception of an NDC government.”

Mr Boateng regretted that the cashew sector also offered job opportunities for many of the people in the Bono Region, expressed worry over what he described as “unprecedented decline in the price of cashew”, saying, that was putting many of the farmers out of the cashew business.

He emphasised that the NPP had learnt lessons, saying that the party was presently re-strategising to regain political power in the Election 2028.

Mr Boateng said: “The NDC government has totally failed Ghanaians in the one-year administration.

“In fact, Mr Mahama hasn’t done anything exceptional to deserve our commendation”

The NPP Bono Regional Secretary urged the government to expedite action to pay cocoa farmers and improve the cashew sector to make life better for farmers in the region.