By Issah Olegor
The cocoa sector is in turmoil as President John Dramani Mahama faces sharp criticism for his remarks linking himself personally to the struggles of cocoa farmers following the controversial mid-season farmgate price reduction.
The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) had in February 2026 slashed the price from GH¢3,625 to GH¢2,587 per 64kg bag for the remainder of the 2025/2026 cocoa season, citing a volatile global market and liquidity constraints within the sector.
Speaking at the maiden Ghana Tree Crops Investment Summit and Exhibition on Tuesday, February 17, President Mahama described himself as “a cocoa farmer,” recounting how he inherited 50 acres of cocoa from a relative and planted it.
“So when the price is reduced by the government, it affects me too. I want to be able to empathise with farmers so that when we take any policy decision, we know that it has an effect on farmers and we feel it ourselves,” he said.
While Mahama framed his remarks as empathy for the plight of farmers, many critics described the comments as mockery and insensitive.
Cocoa farmers have pointed out that, as President, Mahama receives a state-supported salary, allowances, and privileges, unlike smallholder farmers who bear the full costs of fertilizer, labor, electricity, water, and transportation.
“Sir, stop mocking the farmers. They pay for their own inputs and household needs, while you are provided for by the state,” said a coalition of cocoa farmers in the Western North Region.
The controversy highlights the growing frustration among farmers, many of whom are facing loans, soaring input costs, and household pressures.
Local cocoa leader Kwabena Mensah, a farmer with 25 years of experience, lamented the government’s decision: “We believed campaign promises of higher prices. Now our earnings have been cut by almost a third, and the President says he feels it too. This is not the same as our daily struggle; it is a mockery.”
Dennis Miracles Aboagye, an aide to the NPP flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, argued that the crisis is a result of poor management and trading decisions under Mahama’s administration, not historical debt or external market conditions.
He pointed to the NPP’s handling of inherited challenges in 2017, including COCOBOD debts and rollover liabilities, as evidence that cocoa farmers can be protected even amid market downturns.
Meanwhile, Asiedu Nketiah, the NDC national chairman, defended the President, claiming that global cocoa price volatility and liquidity constraints required adjustments. He maintained that the administration’s decision, while difficult, was necessary to safeguard the long-term sustainability of the sector.
The controversy has amplified public debate over campaign promises versus policy execution.
During the 2024 election campaign, Mahama and senior NDC figures, including Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson and Minister for Food and Agriculture Eric Opoku, pledged reforms such as higher producer prices, free inputs, solar-powered boreholes, and irrigation for cocoa farmers, designed to improve productivity and mitigate climate-related risks. None of these measures has yet delivered tangible relief for farmers, exacerbating feelings of betrayal.
Ghana, the world’s second-largest cocoa producer, depends heavily on cocoa for foreign exchange and rural livelihoods, supporting over 800,000 farming households. Analysts warn that the current crisis risks undermining trust in government, encouraging crop diversification away from cocoa, and even promoting smuggling to neighboring Côte d’Ivoire, where prices remain comparatively higher.
Observers note that the President’s comments, intended to show empathy, appear disconnected from the economic realities faced by smallholder farmers, and have instead inflamed calls for immediate policy reversal. Farmers and civil society groups continue to demand the restoration of the previous price to safeguard livelihoods and maintain the position as a leading cocoa exporter.
