The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee, Isaac Yaw Opoku, has called on the government and the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to urgently pay cocoa farmers for beans sold since November 2025, warning that prolonged delays are pushing farmers into severe hardship.
Addressing journalists in Accra on Thursday, February 5, Mr. Opoku said many farmers have gone unpaid for more than three months due to COCOBOD’s failure to reimburse Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) for cocoa already delivered.
He disclosed that COCOBOD currently owes LBCs over GH¢10 billion, crippling their ability to pay farmers.
According to him, the situation has forced farmers to sell cocoa on credit, at discounted prices, or return home with unsold produce, posing serious risks to the cocoa sector and the national economy.
Mr. Opoku rejected claims by COCOBOD that sufficient funds have been released for cocoa purchases, insisting that farmers have not been paid since the Mahama-led NDC government took office in November.
He further highlighted the human cost of the delays, citing cases of farmers who are unable to pay school fees, afford medication, or properly care for their families. Some farmers, he noted, were even unable to celebrate Christmas due to lack of income.
The Minority also criticised the government for failing to honour campaign promises to increase producer prices, noting that the current farmgate price of GH¢3,625 per 64kg bag falls far below earlier assurances.
The Caucus is therefore demanding immediate payment to farmers, full reimbursement of LBCs, and timely settlement of future cocoa deliveries, stressing that prompt payment is a duty, not a favour.
READ ALSO:
- Absence of streetlights on Achimota–Amasaman highway fuels accidents and crime as drivers, traders call for gov’t intervention
- Otumfuo Osei Tutu II receives warm welcome from Ghana’s High Commission in South Africa
- GTEC suspends new diploma and bachelor’s General Nursing courses
- Attorney-General rejects claims of secret deals in ORAL investigations
