The Minority Caucus in Parliament has urgently demanded that the Mahama led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government and the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) immediately settle payments owed to cocoa farmers for beans sold since November 2025. They warned that ongoing delays are putting the survival of the cocoa sector and the broader national economy at serious risk.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra, Dr Isaac Yaw Opoku, the Ranking Member on the Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee and a member of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee voiced deep alarm over the “precarious and deeply troubling” plight of cocoa farmers nationwide.
According to the Minority, Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) have been unable to pay farmers for cocoa already bought and handed over to COCOBOD because the Board has not reimbursed the companies.
The Caucus revealed that COCOBOD currently owes Licensed Buying Companies more than GHS10 billion in unsettled cocoa take-over receipts (CTORs), creating acute liquidity problems for the purchasers.
“As a direct consequence, LBCs are refusing to advance any more money into the field. This has left farmers with no choice but to sell their cocoa on credit, accept heavily discounted prices, or simply go home with their produce unsold,” Dr Opoku explained.
The Minority dismissed COCOBOD’s assertions that adequate funds have already been disbursed to the buying companies, labelling the Board’s recent public statements as deceptive and misleading.
They maintained that, in practice, farmers have received no payment for cocoa delivered over the past three months, leaving many households in acute financial distress.
The Caucus shared heartbreaking accounts from cocoa-growing areas, where farmers are struggling to cover basic medical expenses, buy essential drugs, or pay school fees for their children because of the payment delays.
They highlighted that, for the first time in the country’s history, some cocoa farmers had to cancel or postpone Christmas festivities last year due to the complete absence of income from their harvested produce.
The Minority further accused the government of failing to honour explicit campaign pledges made before the December 7 general elections.
They reminded the public that senior NDC figures including the then Ranking Member on the Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee and the then Minority Leader had publicly promised cocoa farmers producer prices of GHS6,000 and GHS7,000 per 64kg bag respectively.
“Yet today, the actual farmgate price is only GHS3,625 per bag well below those solemn promises and even this reduced amount is not being paid to the farmers,” Dr Opoku stated with regret.
He also condemned reports suggesting the government plans to cut the current producer price further in order to ease payment pressures, calling such a step a “complete betrayal of public trust” that would deepen poverty among farmers.
The Minority charged that the government has abandoned key manifesto commitments, such as ensuring timely fund releases to curb cocoa smuggling and prioritising direct investment in cocoa production rather than excessive administrative spending.
Instead, they alleged that COCOBOD has been spending millions of cedis on widespread transfers, promotions, and the unnecessary duplication of senior management roles.
The Caucus warned that the payment crisis extends beyond farmers: indigenous cocoa buying companies, transporters, and other local businesses are also facing collapse as their working capital remains trapped in unpaid reimbursements.
“This is severely damaging businesses, eroding trust in Ghanaian-owned enterprises, and directly contradicting the NDC’s pre-election rhetoric about championing local business growth,” they declared.
In conclusion, the Minority presented a clear set of demands: immediate settlement of all outstanding payments to cocoa farmers, full reimbursement of Licensed Buying Companies for all cocoa already delivered, and firm guarantees of timely payments for future purchases.
They also called for a formal apology from both the government and COCOBOD for what they described as a “gross dereliction of duty.”
“Cocoa farmers are not beggars. Paying them on time is not an act of generosity; it is a fundamental obligation,” the Ranking Member emphasised.
Editor:
Obiri-Yeboah
