Cocoa Farmers Revolt Over Price Slash
…Demand Reversal of “Painful” Cocoa Price Reduction
Ghana’s cocoa farmers are reeling from what many describe as a devastating betrayal, as the government’s mid-season slash in the farmgate price leaves families facing empty pockets and mounting debts. Across the cocoa growing belt, growers are now openly demanding an immediate reversal of the “painful” reduction, insisting the cut breaks long-standing promises made to protect their livelihoods.
The Producer Price Review Committee’s February 12 announcement dropped the price 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%. The move has cost affected farmers roughly GH¢1,038 per bag delivered from February 13 onward, translating to losses exceeding GH¢16,000 per tonne for many.
Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has defended the adjustment, 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.
But in the cocoa communities of the Ahafo, Bono, Ashanti, and Western North regions, such explanations are drowned out by cries of broken trust.
“Broken promises, empty pockets , that’s our story now,” said Madam Akosua Serwaa, a 52-year-old farmer and mother of four from Wankyi near Bompata. “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, fertilizer loans , everything is piling up. This price cut is painful beyond words.”
The sentiment is widespread. 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.
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 minimum, a compensatory mechanism to cover the shortfall until the next main crop season.”
Opposition MPs from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have been vocal, accusing the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government of hypocrisy. “They sat in opposition and promised heaven for cocoa farmers,” one Minority spokesperson declared during a heated parliamentary session. “Now in power, they deliver the deepest cut in modern history. This is not governance; this is abandonment.”
Protests are brewing. Small demonstrations have already occurred in parts of the Western North Region, with placards reading “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 officials insist the measure is temporary and part of a broader strategy to rebuild the sector’s sustainability. They point to accelerated debt clearance for farmers owed arrears and plans to increase domestic value addition through processing factories.
Yet for the men and women who prune, harvest, and ferment the beans that earn Ghana billions in foreign exchange, the reality is stark: promises made in election seasons have evaporated, replaced by lower cheques and heavier burdens. As the mid-crop harvest continues under cloudy skies, the demand grows louder, reverse the painful reduction, or risk losing the trust, and perhaps the trees, of the very people who feed the nation’s economy.
