Cocoa farmers demand payment from COCOBOD
The Ghana National Cocoa Farmers Association has called on the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to meet its payment obligations to farmers without further delay, insisting that assurances alone are no longer sufficient.
The demand comes despite COCOBOD’s assurances that measures are being taken to resolve the payment delays as soon as possible. The Board has also said it is exploring a new funding model for cocoa purchases, with an emphasis on value addition rather than continued dependence on the export of raw cocoa beans.
Speaking in an interview with Citi News on Monday, February 9, the President of the Association, Stephenson Anane Boateng, expressed strong dissatisfaction with COCOBOD’s handling of the situation.
“We are not satisfied at all, because from the way things are going, COCOBOD should have done their homework. This is an unfair business they are doing with us. It is not just that everybody thinks it is the government.
“COCOBOD, under the contract, mandates us, the cocoa farmers, not to sell our produce to anybody else. So they know very well that at the beginning of every major season, this is something they are going to face. What measures did the CEO put in place?” he said.
The Association maintains that timely payments are critical to sustaining cocoa farming livelihoods and has urged COCOBOD to move beyond promises and deliver immediate relief to affected farmers.
