Friday, October 30, 2009

ARMAJARO DENIES NON-PAYMENT OF BONUSES TO NYAKROM FARMERS (PAGE 31, OCT 30)

ARMAJARO Ghana Limited, a licensed cocoa-buying company, with its headquarters in Kumasi, has denied media reports that it had refused to pay bonuses meant for cocoa farmers at Agona Nyakrom in the Central Region.
According to the company, it had received an amount covering the payment of bonuses from the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and there was no cause for alarm.
Reacting to the media reports, the Operations Manager of Armajaro, Mr Nelson Kpodo-Tay, said the delay in paying the bonus was the creation of the purchasing clerk for the area, Mr Malik Asare, and not the company.
He said the purchasing clerk owed the company some amount of money relating to purchases of cocoa so the company decided not to release the money meant for the payment of bonuses to him.
“We did not trust him, so we asked him to organise the farmers so that we go to Nyakrom to pay them, yet he refused, demanding that we release the money to him instead,“ Mr Kpodo-Tay said.
The chief operations manager said the area manager had been tasked to go to Nyakrom and pay the affected farmers.
On purchases for the season, he said Armajaro was confident to exceed the 60,000 tonnes target set for itself this year.
Mr Kpodo-Tay said last year, the company targeted to purchase 48,000 tonnes but exceeded it by buying 51,000 tonnes at the end of the season.
“We’ve done the preparatory work and we are hopeful to get there,” Mr Kpodo-Tay said.

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