The Daily Gist Report
The cocoa pricing debate has escalated into a full-blown political storm as cocoa farmers, opposition lawmakers, and even members of the ruling party pile pressure on the National Democratic Congress government to honour its promise of raising the producer price to GHS6,000 per 64kg bag.
With global cocoa prices reaching unprecedented heights and farmers facing rising production costs, the government’s credibility is now on the line.
Member of Parliament for Akyem Swedru, Kennedy Osei Nyarko, added his voice to the growing chorus on Saturday, urging President John Dramani Mahama to uphold the campaign pledge made to cocoa farmers during the 2024 general election.
“Our gallant cocoa farmers are not going to accept any producer price lower than GHS6,000,” Kennedy wrote in a strongly-worded social media post.
“World cocoa prices have reached record levels. Our farmers deserve a higher price for their produce.”
As of May 30, 2025, the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) reported global cocoa prices at around $8,407.74 per tonne, with London futures trading at £6,069.67.
These figures reflect a global supply crunch and surging demand — conditions that many believe justify a significant upward adjustment in Ghana’s farmgate price.
Mahama’s Pledge
During his “Thank You” tour in the Ahafo Region on Saturday, May 31, President Mahama attempted to reassure farmers, announcing that a new, attractive cocoa price would be revealed in August 2025.
“The COCOBOD Chief Executive has informed me that in August, they will announce the new cocoa producer price. And I can assure you, the price is going to be a very, very, very good price,” Mahama stated, as he also announced a 200,000-hectare expansion project for cocoa cultivation.
But these promises are being met with skepticism due to a trail of conflicting government communications.
Trail of Broken Promises
Back in February, Minister of Food and Agriculture Eric Opoku reaffirmed the NDC’s campaign promise via social media, declaring that a GHS6,000 producer price was not just possible, but imminent.
However, just weeks later, a communique from COCOBOD, dated April 3, dashed those expectations.
Signed by Acting Deputy Chief Executive for Operations Dr. James Kofi Kutsoati, the letter notified Licensed Cocoa Buyers that no price increment was forthcoming for the 2025/2026 crop season.
Adding to the confusion, COCOBOD publicly admitted on April 11 that it lacked the legal authority to determine or announce a new cocoa price due to the absence of a functional Board of Directors and a non-operational Producer Price Review Committee (PPRC).
This institutional vacuum has stalled critical decisions and sparked a wave of public distrust.
The announcement contradicted the government’s campaign narrative and ignited backlash from farmers.
Minority Outraged
The Minority in Parliament has not held back in its criticism.
In mid-April, the Ranking Member on the Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee, Dr. Isaac Yaw Opoku, accused the government of political deception.
“They promised farmers GHS6,000 per bag. Now they claim they can’t increase the price. Were those just empty words for votes?” Dr. Opoku asked at a press conference in Kumasi.
The Minority also raised alarms over cocoa smuggling into Côte d’Ivoire, where the farmgate price now exceeds GHS3,600 per bag — over GHS500 more than Ghana’s current rate of GHS3,000.
“The widening price gap is driving our farmers to smuggle cocoa across the border. This isn’t just an economic failure — it’s a national security threat,” Opoku warned.
They also dismissed claims of financial limitations, pointing to COCOBOD’s acquisition of over 560,000 tonnes of cocoa and access to more than US$2 billion in funds via the Bank of Ghana.
For farmers, this political back-and-forth has real consequences. Many report delays in planning their harvest and difficulties managing rising costs of fertilizers, pesticides, and labour.
“The government won votes on promises to improve our livelihoods. Now, not only are prices stagnant, but COCOBOD itself admits it can’t function properly,” one disgruntled farmer told The Daily Gist.
Amid all this, Ghana’s cocoa processing industry is also flailing. Output at the Cocoa Processing Company dropped drastically from 6,614 tonnes in 2023 to just 2,886 tonnes in 2024 — far below its installed capacity of 64,500 tonnes. This is emblematic of the broader challenges facing the industry: institutional inefficiency, policy inconsistency, and political gamesmanship.
August Announcement in the Spotlight
As the government pushes the cocoa price decision to August, many see this as a calculated delay to avoid backlash ahead of critical budget negotiations and IMF reporting cycles.
Whether President Mahama will honour his promise remains to be seen. But with mounting political pressure, farmer unrest, and international scrutiny on Ghana’s agricultural policy, the government cannot afford to delay action much longer.
For now, farmers continue to wait — some with hope, many with anger — for the promised GHS6,000.
