Dr. Isaac Opoku
The Minority in Parliament has called on the government and the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to immediately pay cocoa farmers for beans sold since November 2025, warning that continued delays threaten the livelihoods of farmers and the stability of the cocoa industry.
Addressing a press conference organised by the Minority Caucus, the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs, Dr. Isaac Opoku, said Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) have been unable to pay farmers because COCOBOD has failed to reimburse them for cocoa already purchased and delivered.
According to the Minority, COCOBOD currently owes LBCs more than GH¢10 billion in outstanding payments, locking up funds that were largely borrowed from banks and off-taker traders to pre-finance cocoa purchases.
As a result, he said many LBCs have scaled down operations, forcing farmers to sell their produce on credit, accept heavy discounts, or return home with unsold cocoa.
Dr. Opoku blamed both government and COCOBOD for what he described as a breakdown in the cocoa purchasing system, insisting that the buying companies cannot be faulted under the circumstances.
He challenged claims by COCOBOD that sufficient funds have been released to LBCs, describing such assertions as misleading and disconnected from the realities faced by farmers on the ground.
He said the non-payment of farmers for over three months has pushed many cocoa-growing households into severe hardship, with some farmers unable to afford basic healthcare, purchase medicines, or pay school fees for their children.
Dr. Opoku noted that, for the first time in Ghana’s history, some cocoa farmers were forced to postpone Christmas celebrations due to the non-payment of proceeds from their produce.
The Minority also accused the government of reneging on campaign promises made ahead of the 2024 elections, including pledges to significantly increase the producer price of cocoa.
Dr. Opoku said the current farmgate price of GH¢3,625 per 64-kilogramme bag falls far below figures promised during the campaign, adding that reports of plans to further reduce the producer price would amount to a betrayal of trust.
Beyond the farmers, the Minority warned that the crisis is also hurting indigenous LBCs, transporters and other local enterprises within the cocoa value chain, as delayed reimbursements continue to undermine working capital and investor confidence.
The Minority demanded the immediate payment of all outstanding monies owed to cocoa farmers and the prompt reimbursement of LBCs for cocoa already delivered to COCOBOD.
They also called for an apology from the government and COCOBOD, urging authorities to act swiftly to prevent long-term damage to the country’s cocoa industry.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House