Ghana’s cocoa farmers are reeling from disappointment following what many describe as a major breach of trust by the government over producer price commitments. The Offinso Member of Parliament and Ranking Member on Parliament’s Food and Cocoa Affairs Committee, Isaac Yaw Opoku, has come out strongly in their defence, accusing the government of shortchanging the very people who sustain the country’s most critical export sector.
On Tuesday’s edition of the Asaase Breakfast Show (5 August), Hon. Opoku condemned the recently announced cocoa producer price of GHS 3,228.75 per bag, calling it “woefully inadequate” and a betrayal of direct promises made to farmers.
“Cocoa farmers were assured of at least GHS 6,000 per bag. What they are being offered now is just over half that amount. It’s not only shameful — it’s outright disrespectful,” he stated, pointing to public rallies where government officials reportedly assured farmers of better compensation amid soaring global cocoa prices.
The MP said farmers feel deceived, especially in the wake of record-high international market prices, which hit $12,000 per tonne earlier this year.
“Government communicators are now shifting the goalposts, using FOB prices and technical jargon to justify this poor pricing. But farmers see through the numbers — they know they’re being shortchanged,” Opoku added.
Criticising the lack of consultation in determining the price, he described the process as a “top-down” decision-making approach that excludes the voices of farmers and rural stakeholders who bear the brunt of production risks.
He also rejected the government’s narrative of providing free farming inputs as compensation, insisting those subsidies are drawn from cocoa revenue — essentially paid for by the farmers themselves.
“Let’s be honest: nothing is free here. These so-called support programs are not acts of generosity; they’re deductions from the same export revenue that belongs to the farmer,” he said.
As calls grow louder for transparency in pricing and better representation of farmer interests, cocoa producers across the country are expected to respond in the coming days, with some farmer groups already hinting at coordinated petitions and protest action.
With cocoa being the lifeblood of many rural economies, the controversy is reigniting debate over how Ghana distributes the benefits of its most iconic cash crop — and whether farmers are getting their fair share.
