Cocoa farmers in parts of the Western North and Eastern regions have gone for months without payment for beans already supplied to buying agents, triggering economic hardship across farming communities, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, Team Lead of The People’s Forum, has said.
After spending about a week interacting with farmers in cocoa-growing areas, Aboagye told the Asaase Breakfast Show that purchasing clerks and licensed buying companies were unable to pay farmers because they themselves had not received funds from the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
“Farmers have harvested their cocoa, treated the beans and delivered them, but they are not being paid,” he said. “For four months, many of them have not received money.”
He explained that the situation has disrupted local economies that depend heavily on seasonal cocoa income, with families struggling to pay school fees, buy food or access healthcare.
“Some children have stayed home since Christmas because parents cannot afford provisions or fees,” he said. “Fishmongers and traders can’t recover debts because farmers have no money.”
Aboagye also warned that farms are suffering due to a lack of funds for fertiliser and spraying, which could affect future yields.
He further linked the crisis to labour shortages, saying farmhands are leaving cocoa farms for illegal mining sites, where wages are significantly higher.
“If this continues, more cocoa farms may be cut down for galamsey because farmers feel abandoned,” he said.
On the causes of the crisis, Aboagye attributed the delays to what he described as COCOBOD’s financing and trading decisions.
He claimed the board moved away from forward sales — where cocoa is pre-sold at fixed prices — and instead waited to sell at spot prices, expecting higher returns. However, global cocoa prices reportedly fell from about $8,000 per tonne to around $4,000, leaving the board with unsold stock and reduced revenue.
As a result, he said, COCOBOD lacks liquidity to pay farmers while holding thousands of tonnes of cocoa it cannot profitably sell.
The President has since convened an emergency cabinet meeting to address challenges in the cocoa sector.
According to Aboagye, farmers want immediate payment for beans already delivered and assurance that future purchases will be honoured promptly.
“The message is simple,” he said. “Pay us now and buy the cocoa we have. That’s all they are asking for.”
COCOBOD has previously cited financing constraints and broader market pressures as factors affecting operations.
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