The Minority in Parliament has sharply criticized the government’s newly announced cocoa producer price of GH₵3,228.75 per bag, describing it as a betrayal of Ghanaian cocoa farmers and a broken campaign promise.
On August 4, 2025, Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson revealed that the producer price of cocoa had been increased from US$3,100 per tonne to US$5,040 per tonne, effective Thursday, August 7.
The announcement was presented as a significant progress for the cocoa sector, but the Minority remains unconvinced.
Addressing the media at a press briefing in Parliament on Tuesday, August 5, Ranking Member on the Food, Agriculture, and Cocoa Affairs Committee, Dr. Isaac Yaw Opoku, expressed deep disappointment with the figure, saying it falls far short of what cocoa farmers were promised and deserve.
“This new price is ridiculous, laughable, comical, absurd, shameful, unfair, and above all, a stab in the back of our hardworking cocoa farmers,” Dr. Opoku stated.
He reminded the public that the National Democratic Congress (NDC), while in opposition, had strongly advocated for cocoa farmers to be paid between GH₵6,000 and GH₵7,000 per bag, criticizing the then-government for what they saw as meager producer prices.
“What was the motive of the NDC when they insisted, while in opposition, that the previous administration should have paid cocoa farmers at least GH₵6,000 per bag? Will they now admit that they were reckless in making such demands, or are they simply failing to live up to their own promises?” he questioned.
Dr. Opoku further questioned the recent comments by President John Mahama, who had hinted that farmers would be “very happy” when the new producer price was announced, saying, “Is this GH₵3,228.75 per bag what His Excellency was referring to? Can he honestly look cocoa farmers in the eye today and say they are happy with this decision?”
Source : Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
