… PROMISES SMILES BACK ON FARMERS’ FACES
New Patriotic Party (NPP) Flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has pledged to restore hope and prosperity to Ghana’s struggling cocoa farmers, promising urgent interventions to address the challenges confronting one of the country’s most important economic sectors.
Speaking after receiving a report from a special parliamentary committee tasked with assessing conditions in cocoa-growing communities, Dr. Bawumia said the plight of cocoa farmers had reached a critical stage and required immediate attention.
“I want to bring smiles back to the faces of our cocoa farmers,” he declared. “They have suffered long enough. Help is coming.”
The report was presented by Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh, who led a nationwide fact-finding mission across Ghana’s cocoa belt. The committee engaged farmers, local leaders and stakeholders in cocoa-producing areas to gather first-hand information on the challenges facing the sector.
According to the committee, cocoa farmers expressed concerns about declining incomes, delayed payments, rising production costs, inadequate access to inputs, and the growing threat posed by illegal mining activities, which continue to destroy farmlands and water bodies in cocoa-growing communities.
Sources at the meeting said Dr. Bawumia was visibly moved by the testimonies and evidence contained in the report, describing the situation as a matter of national concern.
In response, he announced that the findings would be forwarded immediately to the NPP’s Policy Committee on Agriculture and Food Security for detailed analysis and the formulation of practical policy measures aimed at revitalising the cocoa industry.
Dr. Bawumia also pointed to the NPP government’s previous interventions in the cocoa sector, recalling how the administration shielded farmers from the impact of falling global cocoa prices after assuming office in 2017.
“At a time when international cocoa prices were under pressure, we ensured that Ghanaian farmers were protected from the full impact of those market shocks,” he said. “We did it before. We know how to do it. And we will do it again.”
His remarks were met with applause from farmers and party supporters present at the event.
Political and Economic analysts believe the move could significantly influence the national conversation on agriculture ahead of the next election, particularly as concerns mount over declining cocoa production and the economic hardships facing farming communities.
The cocoa sector remains a vital pillar of Ghana’s economy, providing livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of households and serving as a major source of foreign exchange earnings.
With the NPP now signalling a comprehensive policy response, attention is expected to turn to the specific measures that will be unveiled in the coming days and whether they can reverse the sector’s recent decline.
