Minority calls for immediate payment to Cocoa farmers
5th February 2026
Isaac Yaw Opoku, Ranking Member of Parliament’s Food, Agriculture, and Cocoa Affairs Committee, has urged the government and the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to immediately pay cocoa farmers for beans sold since November 2025, warning that continued delays are pushing both farmers and the cocoa industry toward crisis.
Speaking to journalists in Accra on Thursday, February 5, Mr. Opoku said the Minority Caucus is deeply concerned about the worsening situation, with many farmers going unpaid for over three months.
He explained that Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) are unable to pay farmers because COCOBOD has not reimbursed them for cocoa already delivered. According to Mr. Opoku, COCOBOD currently owes LBCs more than GH¢10 billion, leaving the companies financially constrained and unable to continue purchases.
“As a result, farmers are being forced to sell cocoa on credit, at heavy discounts, or return home with unsold produce,” he said, noting that the situation poses serious risks to the cocoa industry and the national economy.
Mr. Opoku accused COCOBOD and the government of failing to fulfil their obligations to reimburse the LBCs, many of which borrowed from banks and off-taker traders to pre-finance cocoa purchases. He dismissed claims by COCOBOD that sufficient funds had been released, calling such statements misleading.
“The reality is that farmers have not been paid for cocoa sold since November last year under the Mahama-led NDC government,” he stated.
He highlighted the human impact of the delayed payments, citing farmers struggling to afford medication, pay school fees, or care for sick relatives. Some were even forced to postpone Christmas celebrations for the first time in Ghana’s history.
Mr. Opoku also criticised the government for failing to honour campaign promises made before the December 7 elections, recalling commitments by former opposition figures, including Dr. Eric Opoku and Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, to set producer prices at GH¢6,000 and GH¢7,000 per bag, respectively. The current farmgate price stands at GH¢3,625 per 64kg bag, far below these assurances.
He further expressed concern over reports that the government may consider reducing the producer price to pay farmers, describing such a move as a “betrayal of trust.”
The Ranking Member accused the government of promoting hardship rather than addressing cocoa smuggling, in contradiction to NDC manifesto commitments. He also pointed to wasteful administrative spending and mass transfers within COCOBOD as factors worsening the financial situation while farmers remain unpaid.
Mr. Opoku warned that delayed payments are not only affecting farmers but also threatening the survival of indigenous cocoa buying companies and transporters, whose capital is tied up in unpaid deliveries.
The Minority Caucus is therefore demanding:
Immediate payment to cocoa farmers for all beans sold.
Full reimbursement of LBCs for outstanding cocoa deliveries.
Prompt settlement of future cocoa take-over receipts.
An official apology from the government and COCOBOD.
“Cocoa farmers are not beggars. Paying them on time is an obligation,” Mr. Opoku stressed.