Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi constituency, Hon Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has urged the government to urgently restore the cocoa producer price to GH¢3,625 per bag, warning Parliament that the recent reduction threatens livelihoods across cocoa-growing communities.
Speaking on the floor of the House, the lawmaker called on Cabinet to reconvene and reverse the decision, arguing that the issue goes beyond technical pricing formulas and directly affects survival for farmers. He said the impact was already being felt at the grassroots, recounting a call he received from a purchasing clerk in his constituency who had supplied 200 bags of cocoa to a depot before the price adjustment.
According to him, farmers who sold at the previous rate are now being told they will be paid the new lower price because the produce had not yet been evacuated by COCOBOD. He said the change would leave the clerk facing losses of about GH¢200,000, questioning whether most public officials could withstand such financial shock.
Hon Oppong Nkrumah warned that reducing the producer price could deepen poverty in rural areas where cocoa is the primary source of income. He told lawmakers that roughly one million Ghanaians depend on the sector, meaning any significant cut translates directly into reduced household earnings and weakened local economies.
He also cautioned that lower prices could discourage younger people from entering cocoa farming, undermining long-term production. Drawing on past experience, he recalled a period when global cocoa prices fell but the government at the time resisted calls to reduce local producer prices. He credited then Senior Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo with advocating strongly in Cabinet to protect farmers’ incomes despite international market pressures.
Hon Oppong Nkrumah criticised what he described as inconsistency in policy justification, saying arguments about external economic factors were previously dismissed but are now being cited as reasons for the reduction. He warned that such shifts risk eroding trust in government policies, particularly as authorities promote new financing initiatives for the sector.
He concluded by appealing on behalf of cocoa farmers nationwide for the government to reconsider its position and reinstate the earlier price, stressing that confidence in agricultural policy depends on predictability and fairness.
Cocoa remains one of Ghana’s most important export commodities and a cornerstone of rural livelihoods, making producer pricing a politically and economically sensitive issue.