The Minority Caucus in Parliament has urged the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) to elevate the producer price of cocoa in the country.
On April 8, 2025, Ghana COCOBOD issued a letter signed by Dr. James Kofi Kutsoati, Acting Deputy Chief Executive (Operations), addressed to the Executive Secretary of the Licensed Cocoa Buyers’ Association of Ghana (LICOBAG).
The correspondence, titled “Cocoa Price Adjustment for the 2025/2026 Cocoa Season,” cited two reasons for the inability to adjust the producer price.
Merely a day later, another release from the Public Affairs Department of COCOBOD, titled “The Public Should Disregard Any Statement Suggesting a Producer Price Announcement,” provided two different reasons for the unchanged producer price of cocoa.
The Parliamentary Ranking Member on Agriculture and Member of Parliament (MP) for Offinso South, Dr. Isaac Yaw Opoku, expressed his profound disappointment regarding the conflicting releases, asserting that the NDC government has no intention of increasing the producer price of cocoa for the 2025/2026 season.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, the recent price hike in Côte d’Ivoire has created a significant disparity that threatens to exacerbate cocoa smuggling across the border.
“The Ivorian government’s decision to increase cocoa prices from 1800 CFA to 2,200 CFA per kilo, a substantial 22.24% rise has widened the price gap between the two West African cocoa giants,” he explained.
Consequently, the Minority Caucus has called upon the government to take immediate and decisive action to address this pressing issue.
They emphasised that the time for lamentations and blame games has passed.
“What we need now is a substantial increase in cocoa prices to match or exceed those offered in Côte d’Ivoire.
“This is not merely an economic decision but a matter of national security and the preservation of our agricultural heritage.
“The government must act now to safeguard our cocoa industry, protect our farmers’ livelihoods, and maintain Ghana’s position in the industry.
“Failure to do so will result in irreparable damage to our economy and a betrayal of the hardworking farmers who form the backbone of our nation’s agricultural sector,” Dr. Opoku stated.
