Ranking Member of Parliament’s Food, Agriculture, and Cocoa Affairs Committee, Isaac Yaw Opoku, has called on the government and the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to immediately pay cocoa farmers for beans sold since November 2025, warning that delays are plunging farmers and the cocoa industry into crisis.

He called on the government and COCOBOD to apologise for the delay in payment, stressing that prompt payment to farmers is “a statutory obligation, not a favour.”

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“Cocoa farmers are not beggars. Paying them on time is an obligation,” Opoku stressed.

Speaking to journalists in Accra on Thursday, February 5, Opoku stated that the Minority caucus was deeply concerned about the hardship cocoa farmers face, as they have not been paid for over three months.

According to him, Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) have been unable to pay farmers because funds for cocoa already delivered to COCOBOD have not been paid for.

He stated that COCOBOD currently owes LBCs more than GH¢10 billion for their cocoa beans, leaving the companies under severe financial strain and unable to sustain further purchases.

“As a result, farmers are being forced to sell their cocoa on credit, at heavy discounts, or return home with their produce unsold,” he said.

He added that the situation poses serious risks to the cocoa industry and the national economy.

Opoku blamed the government and COCOBOD for failing to reimburse Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs), many of which relied on bank loans and off-taker financing to pre-finance cocoa purchases.

He rejected COCOBOD’s claims that adequate funds had been made available, insisting the assertions were misleading.

“The reality is that farmers have not been paid for cocoa sold to the Mahama-led NDC government since November last year [2025],” he said

He painted a picture of human impact of the delays, recounting cases of farmers unable to buy medicine, pay school fees, or care for sick family members.

According to Opoku, some cocoa farmers were even forced to postpone Christmas celebrations for the first time in the history of the country just because they had not been paid.

Opoku also accused the government of reneging on campaign promises ahead of the December 7 elections, recalling assurances by then opposition figures such as Dr Eric Opoku and Dr Cassiel Ato Forson of producer prices of GH¢6,000 and GH¢7,000 per bag for cocoa farmers.

However, he stated that current farmgate price stands at GH¢3,625 per 64Kg bag, far below those assurances.

The he also accused the government of deepening hardship instead of curbing cocoa smuggling, a move he said runs contrary to commitments outlined in the NDC’s manifesto.

He further alleged that excessive administrative expenditure and widespread staff transfers within COCOBOD had aggravated its financial woes, even as cocoa farmers remained unpaid.

Opoku cautioned that the persistent payment delays were not only inflicting hardship on farmers but also endangering the survival of indigenous cocoa buying companies and transporters whose capital, he said, have been tied up.

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As a result, the Minority Caucus is demanding the immediate payment of all outstanding monies owed to cocoa farmers, the full reimbursement of Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) for delivered cocoa, and the timely settlement of future cocoa take-over receipts.

NA/VPO

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