Some Cocoa Farmers
The Sefwi Wiawso Constituency Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Western North Region, Isaac Asamoah Boadu, has accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament (MPs) in the region for allegedly doing nothing to help improve the living standards of cocoa farmers in the area.
The residents in the Western North Region are predominantly cocoa farmers and eight out of the nine constituencies in the area have NDC MPs.
According to the NPP constituency chairman, it was therefore expected that the NDC MPs would remind President John Mahama to fulfil all the promises he made to cocoa farmers prior to the last general election.
“Our MPs have disappointed us and the cocoa farmers in this region. The NDC in opposition promised to mount polytanks in cocoa farms for irrigation purposes. They also promised to pay over GH¢6,000 for a bag of cocoa.
“When the NDC came to power, it has failed to honour all the promises it made to the farmers and the eight NDC MPs who were part of Mahama’s campaign in the region have now kept mute. In fact, they have disappointed us,” Mr. Boadu stressed.
He was reacting to a report by the Institute of Economic Research and Public Policy (IERPP) which stated that the government should have paid cocoa farmers GH¢4,100 per bag instead of the current GH¢2,500.
The IERPP based its calculations on the fact that Ghana’s cocoa export earnings jumped 99.2 per cent, rising from $1.94 billion in 2024 to $3.86 billion in 2025.
It said the average price for a tonne of cocoa on the international market increased by 32.4 per cent, going from $4,440 to $5,877, and that a state report showed that Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) recorded GH¢5.11 billion in earnings during the timeframe.
The IERPP argues that because the country made so much money from cocoa, a fairer share should have been given directly to the farmers who grow the beans.
Speaking on Sefwi Wiawso-based Billionaires TV, the NPP constituency chairman made it clear that the NDC will never listen to what IERPP is saying.
He said the cocoa farmers in the Western North Region are angry with the current government and have vowed to advise themselves during the next general election.
“Even after winning the elections, President Mahama came to Juaboso and promised the people that they should look for more lands to plant cocoa because the government was going to increase the price of a bag of cocoa and the money will be unprecedented.
“Later the government reduced the price from the over GH¢3,000 it came to meet to GH¢2,500 and our MPs who are key figures in the government, including Sampson Ahi and Akandoh are all quiet,” he asserted.
On his part, Thomas Aidoo, NPP Communication Officer for Sefwi Wiawso, explained that the previous NPP government never reduced the price of a bag of cocoa even when the world market price reduced.
“Or they are waiting few months to the next general election then they will increase the price a bit. But that trick too will not work.
“Now Mahama and his ministers, including Ato Forson and Eric Opoku, do not have credibility in the eyes of the farmers. In our time, Dr. Kweku Afriyie, who was the MP for Sefwi Wiawso fought for the welfare of cocoa farmers unlike the NDC MPs that we currently have,” he indicated.
From Emmanuel Opoku