Some of the protesters
Cocoa farmers across the country have hinted of plans to drag the government to court over the non-payment of beans supplied for more than six months and a recent reduction in producer price of cocoa.
Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Bawumia Campaign Team in 2024, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, who disclosed this in an interview yesterday, described the situation as uncalled for and largely beyond partisan politics.
He believes following rising tensions in cocoa-growing communities and frustration mounting over unpaid beans and reduced prices, many farmers are now exploring legal action if their concerns are not urgently addressed.
He said, “As we speak today, I know cocoa farmers who are putting themselves together to take the government on in court. At the moment, the whole cocoa conversation, the whole cocoa fight is the government versus the Ghanaian cocoa farmer. This conversation is not politics. This conversation is just numbers. It is about people’s survival and livelihood.”
Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson on February 12, announced a reduction in producer price of cocoa from GH¢3,625 to GH¢2,587 per bag, representing 28.6 percent for the remainder of 2025/2026 crop season due to financial challenges facing the cocoa sector and price volatility.
According to Mr. Aboagye, several farmers have not been paid for beans supplied for months, making it difficult to meet their basic financial needs. He disclosed that cocoa-growing communities operate largely on informal credit systems, hence obtaining goods and services on credit with the expectation of paying those debts when they are subsequently paid by government.
“Are you aware that most of the cocoa farmers did not celebrate Christmas because they did not receive their money? They had not been paid for October, November, December and January. They are crediting labour, they are crediting school fees, they are crediting food, they are crediting clothes. When the cocoa farmers are paid, they distribute the money. What is left is what they survive on,” he said.
“In some communities in the Western North Region, traders selling smoked fish and other food items are struggling because farmers who bought on credit cannot pay. Children who returned home for the Christmas holidays have been reported struggling to go back to school because their parents do not have money,” he further stated.
Beyond the payment delays, Mr. Aboagye also accused the government of compounding the hardship of cocoa farmers by reducing producer prices, describing the action as unprecedented and unfair, especially at a time when farmers are already struggling.
“You can’t go and risk a trade, take reckless decisions, lose, and then pass it on to us. So we will not accept this. What competent traders do is monitor the market and know when to sell,” he said and added, “Losses from trading decisions should not be transferred to farmers.”
The former Communication Director for Dr. Bawumia’s Campaign Team also rejected claims that the Ghana Cocoa Board’s (COCOBOD) debt burden justifies the reduction in prices paid to farmers, stating that the board earns commission from cocoa sales and should use that commission to manage its operations and debts.
He stressed that even if the board is indebted, that should not affect payments for cocoa already produced and sold, attributing that to inefficiencies by the management of COCOBOD and poor decision-making rather than the farmers and the current financial challenges.
Mr. Aboagye, therefore, urged the government to acknowledge its failure and provide support to farmers rather than impose what he described as a “haircut” on their earnings.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah