By Issah Olegor
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has rejected key aspects of the newly passed Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) Bill, 2026, describing its passage under a Certificate of Urgency as a flawed process that could undermine the very cocoa farmers the legislation seeks to protect.
In a statement issued by the NPP Policy Secretariat on Sunday. August 9, 2026, the party stressed that it does not oppose reforms to Ghana’s cocoa sector. It acknowledged the need to replace the existing PNDCL 81, while supporting measures on cocoa traceability, value addition and a statutory guarantee for the farmer’s share of the cocoa price.
However, the party said its principal objection was the manner in which the legislation was passed and several provisions it believes could have damaging consequences for farmers.
The NPP argued that the cocoa industry is too important to be subjected to rushed legislation, pointing to the estimated 800,000 farming families and about three million Ghanaians who depend on the sector.
It also cited a decline in cocoa production from a reported peak of 1.047 million tonnes to approximately 650,000 tonnes, alongside concerns over the rehabilitation of about 90,000 hectares affected by swollen shoot disease.
According to the party, the consequences of poor legislation would ultimately be felt in cocoa-growing communities such as Sefwi Wiawso, Offinso, Goaso and Enchi rather than in Accra.
NPP Questions Lack of Farmer Consultation
A major concern raised by the NPP is the speed with which the Bill was introduced and passed. The party noted that the legislation was laid on July 28 and passed within the same week, repealing PNDCL 81 and creating a new legal architecture for the cocoa industry, including new criminal offences and a cocoa tribunal.
The NPP acknowledged that the use of a Certificate of Urgency is not unconstitutional but argued that the procedure should be applied proportionately. It rejected the argument that the need to address the cocoa pricing window justified rushing through legislation with long-term implications for the entire industry.
The party also disputed claims that adequate stakeholder consultations had taken place. It said no engagement report was presented to the joint parliamentary committee, while it alleged that the two national cocoa farmer associations were not consulted.
It further claimed that concerns formally raised by the Licensed Cocoa Buyers Association of Ghana (LICOBAG) were not incorporated and that the Cocoa Hauliers Association was not consulted.
The NPP further argued that the 2026 Bill differed materially from the 2025 version previously considered by Parliament, meaning lawmakers ultimately passed provisions that, according to the party, had not been adequately scrutinised by affected stakeholders.
“A law made for cocoa farmers, without cocoa farmers, is not reform. It is imposition,” the party stated.
Concerns Over COCOBOD’s Mandate
The NPP also raised concerns about Clause 4 of the new law. While supporting provisions that restrict COCOBOD’s mandate to areas including cocoa regulation, development, marketing, quality assurance, traceability, pricing and exports, it questioned a provision that could allow COCOBOD to assume responsibilities belonging to another ministry through legislation or with the prior approval of the responsible Minister.
The party argued that allowing a Minister to expand COCOBOD’s mandate through approval could weaken the intended restriction and called for any expansion of the Board’s mandate to require an Act of Parliament.
On the statutory guarantee that farmers receive not less than 70 percent of the Gross Free-On-Board price, the NPP welcomed the principle but questioned how the figure would be calculated and independently verified.
The party’s concern is that the enacted legislation refers to “realised Gross FOB” rather than the “world market price” contained in an earlier version. It argued that realised Gross FOB involves internal calculations linked to forward contracts and therefore needs greater transparency.
The NPP is demanding that the calculation and underlying contracts be made available, with the process independently audited so that farmers and other stakeholders can understand how the producer price is determined.
Party Questions External Cocoa Marketing Provision
Another major concern relates to Clause 59, which deals with categories of licences. The NPP argued that the inclusion of external marketing in the licensing framework could eventually allow private operators to export cocoa, potentially weakening the centralised marketing structure currently operated through the Cocoa Marketing Company (CMC).
According to the party, Ghana’s position as a single seller gives it greater bargaining strength in international cocoa markets and supports forward sales, price stabilisation, quality premiums and negotiations with Côte d’Ivoire.
The NPP therefore questioned whether the provision could eventually lead to the fragmentation of Ghana’s cocoa marketing system.
NPP Warns Against Criminalising Normal Farm Practices
The party also criticised Clause 81, which prohibits the destruction, uprooting, damaging or felling of cocoa trees except for rehabilitation approved by COCOBOD.
While agreeing with the objective of protecting cocoa farms from activities such as illegal mining, the NPP argued that the provision could inadvertently criminalise routine farming practices.
It cited the removal of overcrowded, diseased or unproductive trees as examples of normal farm management and warned that requiring approval before such activities could delay responses to swollen shoot disease.
The party proposed that tree removals undertaken in accordance with published COCOBOD agronomic guidelines should be exempted, with approval required primarily when a registered cocoa farm is being converted to non-cocoa use.
Registration Requirement Also Challenged
The NPP further raised concerns about Clause 85, which requires cocoa farmers and farms to be registered on the Cocoa Management System before commercial production, purchase or sale can legally take place.
The party acknowledged progress in cocoa registration but argued that registration remains incomplete. It cited figures in its statement indicating that 792,954 farmers had been registered and 1.2 million hectares mapped, against an estimated 800,000 farming households and 1.27 million hectares under harvest.
The party’s concern is that farmers cannot register themselves if COCOBOD’s registration officers have not reached their communities. It therefore argued that farmers should not face criminal consequences for an administrative process they do not control.
The NPP called for the relevant provision to be deferred until the Minister responsible certifies that registration is substantially complete.
50% Local Processing Target Questioned
The party also welcomed the objective of increasing domestic processing but questioned the feasibility and potential consequences of the requirement that at least 50 percent of cocoa production be reserved for local processors.
According to the NPP, Ghana’s cocoa grinding capacity is approximately 504,780 tonnes annually, while actual grindings have reportedly averaged between 210,000 and 220,000 tonnes.
The party argued that with production at approximately 650,000 tonnes, a 50 percent requirement would translate into about 325,000 tonnes for domestic processing, considerably higher than recent processing levels.
It therefore demanded clarity on the price at which cocoa would be supplied to domestic processors and questioned who would absorb any discount if local processors received beans below the applicable market price.
NPP Revisits February Cocoa Price Reduction
The NPP also used its statement to question the credibility of the new statutory 70 percent farmer-price guarantee, citing the government’s decision to reduce the cocoa producer price during the 2025/2026 season.
According to the party, the season opened in August 2025 at GH¢51,660 per tonne, which it said was based on a Gross FOB price of US$7,200. It said the price was subsequently reduced to GH¢41,392 per tonne on February 12, representing a 28.6 percent reduction.
The party argued that the reduction affected farmers who had already planted, invested in inputs and harvested based on the earlier price.
It therefore pledged to monitor implementation of the 70 percent provision and demand publication of the calculations underlying future cocoa producer prices.
The NPP also stated that under a future administration led by Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, it would not reduce a producer price in the middle of a crop season once that price had been announced.
NPP Calls for Reconsideration
The NPP has called on President John Dramani Mahama to withhold assent to the legislation and return it for broader consultation. It also urged Parliament to reconsider several provisions, including the restrictions on COCOBOD’s mandate, transparency surrounding the 70 percent farmer-price calculation, external cocoa marketing, restrictions on the removal of cocoa trees, farmer registration requirements and the pricing framework for beans supplied to local processors.
The party concluded that it supports modernising Ghana’s cocoa legislation but cannot support what it described as provisions that could criminalise legitimate farming practices, penalise farmers for incomplete registration, potentially fragment external marketing and leave the calculation of the farmer’s guaranteed share insufficiently transparent.
“Ghana’s cocoa industry was built over a century by families who planted trees that would not bear for five years. They are owed better than a law made in haste, in their absence,” the NPP stated.
The party’s position is now likely to add another layer to the growing debate over the implementation of the new COCOBOD law, particularly concerning farmer incomes, institutional independence, cocoa financing, domestic processing and the future structure of Ghana’s cocoa industry.
