Nana Yaa Asantewaa, the Public Relations Officer for the Cocoa Farmers Association of Ghana, has issued a stern challenge to government officials and representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) regarding what she describes as “falsehoods” concerning payments to cocoa farmers.
Asantewaa asserted that if the government has no meaningful updates for farmers currently facing financial hardship, it should cease spreading misinformation.
She noted that many farmers have not received payments since October 2025, a delay that has severely impacted their welfare.
Across the country, cocoa farmers have expressed bitterness over a three-month wait for payments on beans sold to COCOBOD through licensed buying companies. Despite these grievances, some state officials insist that funds have been released.
This disconnect has led desperate farmers to consider drastic measures, including smuggling produce to neighbouring countries or selling their land to illegal miners.
The Association has described the current situation as an “unfortunate incident”, even advising members to consider diversifying into other crops as an alternative to cocoa. Asantewaa challenged officials to move beyond rhetoric and provide concrete proof of payment.
“If they claim to have paid us, they should provide the evidence. It is purely laughable. It is political talk, and one would wonder if these ‘paid farmers’ are political farmers or the actual cocoa farmers struggling in our villages. We are lamenting and crying over the failure of authorities to pay us. Our members are going through serious financial difficulties, and we are disappointed that they have not engaged us, spoken to us, or provided any tangible reasons why we have not been paid.”
For decades, Ghana relied on syndicated loans from international financial institutions to pre-finance cocoa purchases.
This system traditionally ensured timely payments and supported production levels.
However, the previous administration halted this practice, announcing a shift toward using internally generated funds (IGF).
Nana Yaa Asantewaa argued that this shift occurred because the country failed to meet its obligations to the international markets that provided those loans. She is now calling on the current administration to take immediate steps to rectify the backlog.
“We respectfully urge the government to settle our payments as we are experiencing significant hardship. If the government is no longer in a position to purchase our cocoa, we request that they notify us promptly so we can explore alternative markets. During their campaign period, the government expressed their commitment to improving our livelihoods and offering better prices for our cocoa. If this had not been their intention, our decision to elect them would have been different.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
