Dr Isaac Yaw Opoku, the Member of Parliament for Offinso South and Ranking Member on Parliament’s Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee, has launched a scathing attack on the government over the newly announced cocoa producer prices, describing the rates as an insult and a direct breach of campaign promises.
According to the lawmaker, the government has taken cocoa farmers for granted, deceived them, and engaged in practices that ultimately cheat them out of their hard-earned livelihoods.
His comments come on the back of the Ghana Cocoa Board’s (COCOBOD) announcement of a new producer price of GH¢42,400 per tonne for the 2026/2027 cocoa season.
The new price, which took effect on September 25, translates to GH¢2,650 per 64kg bag. This reflects an increase of GH¢1,008 per tonne over the GH¢41,392 per tonne rate that prevailed during the previous season.
The producer price had being revised downwards to GH¢41,392 per tonne (GH¢2,587 per 64kg bag) due to a sharp drop in international cocoa prices and liquidity challenges facing the sector. COCOBOD subsequently maintained the GH¢41,392 rate for the 2026 light crop season.
The government noted that the current GH¢42,400 per tonne rate represents 71.18 per cent of the realised gross Free-On-Board (FOB) value of cocoa, introduced under the newly enacted Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 2026, which guarantees farmers a minimum of 70 per cent of the realised gross FOB value.
However, Dr Opoku argued that the new law was passed without any consultation with key stakeholders, particularly cocoa farmers, depriving them of a voice in decision-making processes regarding pricing and sector management.
Speaking on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, the MP maintained that the announced rates are completely unacceptable and must be reviewed immediately to reflect the campaign promises made by the NDC.
“The government has refused to give cocoa farmers what they promised and is instead using dubious means to cheat them,” Dr Opoku stated.
He explained that officials could have done much better by factoring in the Living Income Differential (LID) of GH¢400 into the new prices, rather than conjuring a 71 per cent benefit figure to present to farmers.
Dr Opoku further accused COCOBOD of a lack of transparency, alleging that the Board deliberately refused to disclose the average world market price used to determine the final figures.
“Management of the Board has not been transparent with our cocoa farmers. At a recent meeting, the Chief Executive Officer was absent, and questions posed by stakeholders went entirely unanswered. The farmers left bitterly disappointed because there was nobody available to give them clear answers,” he revealed.
He insisted that an immediate upward review is necessary to ensure farmers receive what they truly deserve.
Reassuring sector workers of better prospects ahead, Dr Opoku declared: “Under a new presidency led by former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, cocoa prices will never be reviewed downwards.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana