Gov’t has scammed cocoa farmers – Oppong Nkrumah
The Ranking Member of Parliament’s Economy Committee and MP for Ofoase/Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has accused the government of shortchanging cocoa farmers despite recent announcements of a major increase in the producer price of cocoa.
His comments come in the wake of the government’s decision to raise the producer price of cocoa from US$3,100 to US$5,040 per tonne for the 2025/2026 season — a 62.58% jump in dollar terms.
The new price, approved by the Producer Price Review Committee (PPRC) chaired by Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, takes effect from Thursday, August 7.
“It is instructive to note that the Government has by this decision increased the producer price significantly by 62.58% in US$ terms,” Dr Forson stated.
However, speaking on Eyewitness News on Monday, August 4, Mr Oppong Nkrumah criticized the increase as deceptive, arguing that the real impact on farmers is minimal.
He explained that the actual increase in the price of a bag of cocoa in Cedi terms is just GHS128 — from GHS3,100 to GHS3,228.
“The cocoa farmer is not interested in the FOB price they came to quote. The farmer is only interested in the price of a bag of cocoa,” he said.
According to him, the ruling government, while in opposition, promised cocoa farmers a producer price of GHS6,000 per tonne, a promise he says has not been fulfilled.
“If they [NDC] had actually pegged the price at GHS6,000 as promised, then today they would been announcing a reduction from GHS6,000 to GHS3,228. Does anybody believe this? That is hogwash,” he fumed.
He accused the government of using misleading figures to create a false sense of progress.
“Today, they are in power and they cannot afford even a decent 5%, 10%, or 15% increase in the farmgate price. They are only resorting to this gymnastics of FOB price and the others,” he argued.
“I want to submit to you in all humility that the government has scammed the Ghanaian cocoa farmer. What they promised in opposition is significantly different from what they are delivering in power,” he added.
