By Daniel Bampoe
The Minority Caucus in Parliament has formally presented a comprehensive report on the state of Ghana’s cocoa sector to former Vice President and 2028 presidential hopeful, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, following months of nationwide engagements with cocoa farmers, purchasing clerks, chiefs, and agricultural producers across the country.
The report, compiled after an extensive tour of cocoa-growing regions including Eastern, Ashanti, Ahafo, Bono, Bono East and Central Regions, was presented by the Minority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, who led the assignment at the request of Dr. Bawumia following growing public concern over what has been described as the biggest cocoa price shock in recent years.
Presenting the findings, Annoh-Dompreh said the team was shocked by the severity of the challenges confronting farmers.
According to him, the crisis extends beyond cocoa and has affected other agricultural commodities such as cashew, maize, rice and yam, where farmers are increasingly struggling to find buyers while producer prices continue to decline.
He explained that during the nationwide tour, the Minority delegation encountered widespread frustration among farmers who complained about reduced cocoa prices, delayed payments for cocoa already supplied, lack of liquidity among Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs), and increasing production costs.
In many communities, purchasing clerks also lamented the inability to obtain funds to buy cocoa from farmers, creating a backlog of unpaid produce and worsening hardship in cocoa-growing areas.
The cocoa controversy has its roots in the heated political debate that preceded the 2024 elections. During the campaign period, many cocoa farmers expected a significant increase in cocoa producer prices following promises made by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) while in opposition.
According to farmers interviewed during the Minority’s tour, expectations had been built around assurances that cocoa prices would improve substantially under a new administration.
However, following the change of government, farmers were instead confronted with a reduction in the cocoa producer price.
The decision sparked outrage in cocoa-producing communities, leading to demonstrations, public protests, and widespread criticism from chiefs, farmers and purchasing clerks who argued that the move had disrupted their livelihoods and financial plans.
Annoh-Dompreh told Dr. Bawumia that the Minority’s engagements revealed a deep sense of disappointment among cocoa farmers who felt their expectations had been shattered.
He noted that many farmers had taken loans, invested in farm inputs and planned family expenditures based on expectations of higher cocoa earnings, only to face a reduction in producer prices and delays in payment.
The Minority Chief Whip further stated that instead of responding to the concerns raised by farmers, government officials had largely sought to defend the reduction by arguing that the current producer price remained better than prices under previous administrations.
According to him, that explanation failed to convince farmers, who continued to insist that their concerns centered on the promises made prior to the elections and the financial hardship they now face.
Receiving the report, Dr. Bawumia acknowledged the significance of the findings and praised the Minority Caucus for leaving Parliament to engage directly with farmers rather than relying on second-hand information.
He said the decision to commission the nationwide tour was informed by widespread concern over the impact of the cocoa price reduction on farming communities.
Dr. Bawumia recalled that when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) assumed office in 2017, global cocoa prices had fallen sharply, creating pressure on government to reduce producer prices.
However, he said the Akufo-Addo administration took a deliberate policy decision not to reduce cocoa prices despite the decline in international prices.
According to him, the NPP government chose to absorb the shock in order to protect cocoa farmers from income losses and hardship. He emphasized that throughout the eight years of the Akufo-Addo administration, cocoa producer prices were never reduced despite fluctuations in global markets.
He further highlighted several interventions introduced during the previous administration to support cocoa farmers, including the mass cocoa spraying programme, fertilizer distribution under the Hi-Tech Programme, disease and pest control initiatives, and hand pollination programmes aimed at increasing yields and improving farmer incomes.
Dr. Bawumia described cocoa farmers as critical stakeholders in Ghana’s economy and assured the Minority delegation that the report would be forwarded to the party’s policy team on agriculture, food security and agribusiness for detailed analysis.
He said the findings would help shape alternative policy proposals that would eventually be presented to farmers and the Ghanaian public.
The former Vice President noted that the concerns raised by farmers during the nationwide tour go beyond cocoa and point to broader challenges confronting the agricultural sector. He stressed that any future policy response must address farmer welfare, market access, productivity and sustainability while restoring confidence among agricultural producers.
The presentation of the report marks the latest chapter in the ongoing national debate over cocoa pricing, farmer welfare and agricultural policy.
