The Ghana Cocoa Board is under mounting pressure from cocoa farmers in the Western North Region who have petitioned the government to restore the previous producer price following a sharp reduction for the 2025/2026 crop season.
The government recently cut the cocoa producer price from GH¢3,625.00 to GH¢2,587.00 per bag — a 28.6 per cent decrease — with the new rate taking effect on February 12, 2026. The revised price translates to GH¢41,392.00 per tonne.
Farmers Express Economic Strain
Submitting their petition at COCOBOD’s headquarters in Accra, the farmers voiced frustration over what they described as a painful setback. Zakaria Musah, popularly known as “Mallam Zack,” said they felt disappointed, particularly after campaign assurances of improved conditions for cocoa growers.
“If nothing at all, government should maintain the old price rather than slashing it,” he stated. “We are not asking for too much — just restore the previous price.”
Another farmer, Richard Asante, also known as “Bush,” warned that the reduction could discourage young people who have recently turned to cocoa farming as a livelihood.
Carrying placards with messages such as “Cocoa is sweet, but our lives are bitter” and “Our children are at home because we cannot pay school fees,” the farmers chanted songs to underscore the economic hardships they say the price cut will worsen.
President Responds with Empathy
At the opening of the Ghana Tree Crops Investment Summit and Exhibition 2026, President John Dramani Mahama acknowledged the concerns of farmers, revealing that he personally owns a 50-acre cocoa farm and a 100-acre palm plantation.
“I am a cocoa farmer, so when the prices were reduced by government it affected me too,” he said. “We must understand the effects of policy decisions on farmers because we feel it ourselves.”
Despite the President’s empathy, farmers insist that immediate action is needed to cushion them against rising production costs and sustain livelihoods in cocoa-growing communities.
