Cocoa farmers in Ghana are currently counting their losses and reeling from what they describe as massive betrayal by the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) following the government’s slash in the farmgate price of cocoa.
In the lead-up to the 2024 general election, the NDC promised to increase cocoa prices from GH¢3,100 per bag to at least GH¢6,000 per bag.
However, after winning power, the government just increased the price to GH¢3,625 in 2025, only to slash it to GH¢2,587 per bag in the 2026 mid-season.
Cocoa farmers across the country now say they are left with empty pockets and mounting debts as a result of the government’s betrayal.
Consequently, they are openly demanding an immediate reversal of the “painful” reduction, insisting the price reduction breaks long-standing promises made to protect their livelihoods.
The Producer Price Review Committee announced the drop from GH¢58,000 per metric tonne (GH¢3,625 per 64kg bag), set just four months earlier in October 2025, to GH¢41,392 per tonne (GH¢2,587 per bag), a reduction of approximately 28.6%.
This drastic decision has cost-affected farmers roughly GH¢1,038 per bag delivered from February 13 onward, translating to losses exceeding GH¢16,000 per tonne .
The Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, who announced the price reduction at a news conference in Accra on Thursday, February 12, 2026, defended the decision, citing the collapse of global cocoa prices from over $10,000 per tonne in late 2024 to around $4,000–$3,600 currently.
He argued that the previous high farmgate price made Ghanaian cocoa uncompetitive, leading to unsold stocks, delayed payments, and a liquidity crisis at COCOBOD.
The new price, he noted, still delivers 90% of the achieved gross FOB value, well above the statutory 70% minimum, and is paired with promised reforms, including cocoa bonds, expanded local processing, and future price safeguards.
Betrayal of trust
Notwithstanding the explanation, Cocoa farmers in Ahafo, Bono, Ashanti, and Western North regions, are rejecting it, describing it as a cover up for betrayal of trust.
“Broken promises, empty pockets, that’s our story now,” Madam Akosua Serwaa, a 52-year-old farmer and mother of four from Wankyi near Bompata ,said.
“Politicians came here during campaigns promising GH¢6,000 or more per bag if they won power. We believed them. We voted. Now they give us GH¢2,587 and tell us to be grateful it’s above 70%. How do we survive? School fees, hospital bills, fertiliser loans, everything is piling up. This price cut is painful beyond words,” she further lamented among widespread sentiments.
Farmers’ groups, youth associations, and even some licensed buying companies have joined calls for reversal.
In several districts, farmers have reportedly begun withholding beans from official channels or openly discussing smuggling routes to Côte d’Ivoire, where producer prices remain significantly higher despite recent declines.
Cocoa farmers association
In the midst of the growing anger, the Ghana National Cocoa Farmers Association issued a measured but firm statement.
“While we understand global market pressures, the sudden and steep reduction without adequate consultation or transitional support is unacceptable. We demand an emergency reversal to the original October price or, at a minimum, a compensatory mechanism to cover the shortfall until the next main crop season,” the Association stated.
NPP’s demand
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority in Parliament has been vocal, accusing the governing NDC of hypocrisy.
Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu, Osahen Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has called on the government to immediately settle outstanding payments owed to cocoa farmers.
He stated that producers are more concerned about receiving their earnings than policy pronouncements.
Osahen Afenyo-Markin’s call comes amid crisis in Ghana’s cocoa sector, where farmers have complained about delays in payments for months.
Speaking at the Thanksgiving Ceremony of the NPP on Sunday, February 15, 2026, the minority leader criticised the slash in cocoa prices and accused the government of worsening the plight of cocoa farmers.
“Cocoa farmers were being paid GH¢3,625 per bag. Today, the NDC government has reduced the price to GH¢2,587,” he said.
Osahen Afenyo-Markin said this highly troubling issue goes beyond communication and public relations.
“What I want every NPP member to tell the NDC government is that it is not all about speaking very big English on social media and hiding behind CSOs. The cocoa farmers want their money, so pay them,” he stated.
According to him, cocoa farmers are incurring significant losses under the revised pricing regime and warned that the Minority Caucus would escalate the matter in Parliament.
“So, this week, for us, the Minority, it will be a scene to behold in Parliament. They must pay the cocoa farmers,” he added.
Brewing protests
Small demonstrations have already occurred in parts of the Western North Region, with placards, “Reverse the Cut Now!” and “No More Empty Promises.”
Some farmers have threatened to uproot cocoa trees and switch to food crops or cashew if the price is not restored, raising alarms about long-term damage to Ghana’s position as the world’s second largest cocoa producer.
Government is insisting the measure is temporary and part of a broader strategy to rebuild the sector’s sustainability.
It announced policy decision to accelerate debt clearance for farmers owed arrears and plans to increase domestic value addition through processing factories.
