The recently concluded nationwide tour by GGC officials accompanied by the media to monitor the operational challenges of all the seccos before the end of the trade season is a unique experiment with transparency and accountability in the groundnut marketing exercise.
The company has received clear information from the secco managers which they relied on to address three fundamental issues. The first issue dealt with the reconciliation of payments to farmers. The second issue at hand is the screening of the nuts before weighing. The third element dealt with the position of the company on nuts that are yet to be brought to the seccos.
First and foremost, the GGC official reconciled payments with the secco managers to identify any sum of money owed to the seccos. At the end of the exercise, the process of reconciliation revealed that while GGC was to pay D9 million to the seccos as commission on sale, officials say the seccos owe them a sum of D30 million and they intend to pursue the payment of this sum. Officials also say they have paid the seccos their commissions.
Secondly the tour party ensured that only nuts that were properly screened before weighing were paid for. Secco managers were earlier requested to maintain the practice of screening before weighing.
Finally, some farmers sent information to the tour party that they still had nuts to be sold. They were asked to take the nuts to the seccos with the promise that they will be bought.
This is how matters stand regarding the trade season. Foroyaa will continue to monitor developments and report the facts as they come.
