The Centre for Democratic Movement (CDM) has expressed deep concern over recent developments in Ghana’s cocoa sector, warning that policy uncertainty, declining producer prices, and worsening farmer dissatisfaction could threaten one of the country’s most strategic economic industries.
At a press conference, the group said Ghana’s cocoa sector is facing growing instability at a time when farmers are already battling rising production costs, climate pressures, illegal mining activities, and declining productivity.
Samuel Doku, Convener of the Group, indicated that historical data from the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) shows that cocoa producer prices rose significantly between 2017 and late 2024, reaching some of the highest levels in Ghana’s history before recent downward adjustments triggered anxiety among cocoa farmers.
The group stated that the cocoa producer price stood at approximately GH₵7,600 per tonne during the 2016/2017 cocoa season before increasing steadily over subsequent years.
CDM highlighted that:
- the opening producer price for the 2023/2024 season rose to GH₵20,928 per tonne,
- April 2024 reviews pushed prices to GH₵33,120,
- while later reviews in 2024 and 2025 reportedly increased prices to between GH₵48,000 and GH₵58,000 per tonne.
However, the organization noted that the current administration’s adjustment to GH₵41,392 per tonne has generated widespread concern within cocoa-growing communities.
“These figures demonstrate that cocoa producer prices experienced substantial upward reviews over the years prior to the current administration assuming office,” he stated.
The group argued that although COCOBOD faces genuine financial pressures and global market volatility, the burden of sector inefficiencies should not be transferred onto vulnerable cocoa farmers.
“A nation that depends significantly on cocoa export revenues cannot afford policy uncertainty within such a strategic sector,” the organization stressed.
CDM warned that continued instability in pricing and farmer support systems could lead to:
- increased cocoa smuggling,
- declining cocoa production,
- rising rural poverty,
- and long-term weakening of Ghana’s cocoa economy.
The organization also raised concerns that frustrated cocoa farmers may abandon their farms or sell farmlands to illegal miners, worsening environmental destruction caused by galamsey activities.
“We are particularly worried that sustained farmer dissatisfaction may worsen cross-border cocoa smuggling and accelerate the abandonment of cocoa farming altogether,” the statement noted.
CDM further argued that the challenges facing cocoa farmers go beyond agriculture and could have broader consequences for:
- foreign exchange earnings,
- rural economic resilience,
- employment,
- export performance,
- and national economic security.
The group therefore called on government to urgently:
- review and strengthen cocoa pricing mechanisms,
- introduce targeted income-support programmes for cocoa-growing households,
- resolve liquidity constraints affecting Licensed Buying Companies,
- strengthen anti-smuggling enforcement systems,
- invest in local cocoa processing and value addition,
- and develop climate adaptation support systems for cocoa farmers.
Beyond the cocoa sector, CDM said a broader governance problem is emerging across multiple sectors of the economy.
The organization linked the cocoa crisis to concerns surrounding stalled hospitals and food distribution challenges, arguing that the common underlying issues are weak institutional coordination, delayed decision-making, poor accountability, and governance inefficiency.
“Whether it is a completed hospital remaining closed, farmers unable to sell produce, or cocoa communities losing confidence in state support systems, the underlying challenge is increasingly the same,” the group said.
CDM concluded by urging government to respond to the concerns with urgency and transparency.
He said: “The people of Ghana deserve better,” the organization declared, adding that history would judge institutions “not merely by promises made, but by lives improved.”
