Cocoa farmers across Ghana are urging the government to improve their working conditions and increase the producer price of cocoa as the country prepares for the 2025/2026 cocoa season.
The call follows assurances by President John Dramani Mahama that the producer price will be increased in the upcoming season.
The farmers believe that while the government has made efforts to support the sector, current returns are not reflective of their labor and the global value of cocoa.
President of the Concerned Farmers Association of Ghana, Nana Oboadie-Bonsu II, welcomed the president’s pledge, noting that any increment in the producer price would help cushion the farmers.
“It is a business that we are doing, and at the end of the day when you look at it, the world market price keeps going up,” he said. “Other producers determine their own prices, but with cocoa, the government holds the monopoly and decides what to pay us.”
He further stressed the need for government to honor constitutional provisions that guarantee farmers a fair share of cocoa revenue, noting “The constitution says that we need to get 70 percent of the international price. If our welfare is being paid well, and we get what is due us, I think it is brilliant,” he added.
Nana Oboadie Bonsu II also criticized previous administrations for ignoring farmers’ welfare, but expressed confidence in President Mahama’s commitment.
“The past government ignored our welfare. We are still putting pressure on this government so that, at the end of the day, the welfare will be paid,” he noted. “This government promised us, and we believe in John Dramani Mahama, that he is going to deliver.”
The farmers’ demands come at a time of rising global cocoa prices, with stakeholders across the value chain expecting Ghana, the world’s second-largest cocoa producer, to implement policies that better reflect international market conditions.
The association remains hopeful that the anticipated increase in producer price will be a much-needed relief for farmers and a step toward fair treatment and sustainability in the cocoa industry.
Read More @ ATLFMNEWS.COM
