GCCP criticises COCOBOD decision to maintain cocoa price for 2025/2026 season

The Ghana Civil-Society Cocoa Platform (GCCP) has expressed its discontent over a recent letter circulating on social media, which addresses the Licensed Cocoa Buyers’ Association of Ghana regarding the farm gate price for the 2025/2026 cocoa crop season.

In the letter, the Acting Deputy CEO of COCOBOD, Dr. James Kutsoati, stated that the board’s decision to maintain the producer price at GH¢3,100 per 64kg bag was aimed at ensuring long-term stability and sustainability within Ghana’s cocoa sector.

However, the GCCP has raised concerns, arguing that the decision contradicts promises made by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) ahead of the 2024 general elections, specifically, the party’s commitment to increasing cocoa prices to improve the livelihoods of farmers.

In an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb Business on April 10, 2025, Co-Coordinator of the GCCP, Obed Owusu-Addai, expressed dissatisfaction with COCOBOD’s position and called for a reevaluation of the price.

He stated that the decision undermines the expectations and welfare of cocoa farmers.

“We need to understand that the international market price is still very high. That being said, the initial reaction from the platform is one of disappointment. This government, when they were in opposition, made several interesting promises to cocoa farmers. The current Minister for Agriculture, Hon. Opoku, said a lot. Just recently, on his Facebook page, he posted that the government intends to revive the cocoa pricing strategy by ensuring farmers receive not less than 70 percent of the international market price.”

He further explained, “If that is to be believed, then cocoa farmers in Ghana should be receiving no less than US$5,000 per tonne, which should translate to not less than GH¢6,000 per bag. That is our initial reaction, one of disappointment. With this decision, they have essentially set themselves up for a reduced cocoa output this season.”

SP/MA

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