A growing dispute between the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has thrown cocoa farmers into uncertainty, as COCOBOD has rejected claims that the government will pay 70% of the world market price for cocoa.
The claim, made by Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku, had initially sparked optimism among farmers, but COCOBOD’s firm dismissal has raised concerns over misinformation and a possible lack of coordination within the government.
“On Friday, February 14, 2025, as Ghana marked National Chocolate Day alongside the global celebration of St. Valentine’s Day, I reaffirmed government’s commitment to ensuring competitive prices for cocoa farmers while contributing to a statement on the floor of Parliament. This initiative aims to incentivize increased production amidst declining output at the Cocoa Processing Company (CPC). Since 2023, CPC’s production has been on a downward trend. Despite having a processing capacity of 64,500 tonnes, the company produced only 6,614 tonnes in 2023 and 2,886 tonnes in 2024. This decline is largely due to reduced cocoa bean production, which has affected supply to the processing company. To address this challenge, I announced government’s decision to exceed the initial 60 percent proposal and offer cocoa farmers 70 percent of the world market price. This increase is intended to motivate farmers, boost production, and further cement Ghana’s standing as the world’s second largest producer of cocoa,” the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Eric Opoku, wrote on his Facebook account on Friday, February, 15, 2025.
In a strongly worded statement, COCOBOD insisted that reports of a price increase were “completely untrue” and urged the public to ignore them.
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FAKE NEWS ALERT! Our attention has been drawn to a false flyer circulating on social media claiming that the Minister for Food and Agriculture has announced an increase in cocoa prices. This information is completely untrue. We urge our cherished stakeholders and the public to disregard this fake news and rely only on official communication from COCOBOD and the Ministry,” COCOBOD wrote on Facebook on Sunday, February 16, 2025.
This comes after Opoku’s widely shared Facebook post, where he justified the 70% price offer as a move to boost production and sustain Ghana’s ranking as the world’s second-largest cocoa producer.
The apparent contradiction between the two entities has left many questioning the reliability of government pronouncements on cocoa pricing.
The conflicting statements come at a time when cocoa farmers are demanding better compensation to cope with increasing costs of production.
With farmers anxiously awaiting a definitive position, pressure is mounting on the government to clarify the situation and provide transparent, consistent communication on cocoa pricing policies.
Ruth Sekyi – ABC News GH
