Aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has issued a heartfelt appeal to the government, urging it to honour its campaign promise to cocoa farmers by offering them fair compensation for their labour.
Speaking on Breakfast Daily on Channel One TV on Wednesday, August 6, he stressed that cocoa farmers continue to endure hardship and deserve better than political rhetoric and shifting figures.
“This is a plea. I beg you, these farmers struggle, they suffer, they bleed before they can give us the cocoa. Give them what it is that you promised them. Forget about NPP,” he said passionately.
His call comes in the wake of the government’s announcement of a significant increase in the producer price of cocoa for the 2025/2026 season. The new rate US$5,040 per tonne reflects a 62.58% rise from the previous price of US$3,100.
The increase was approved by the Producer Price Review Committee (PPRC), chaired by Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, and takes effect on Thursday, August 7, when the new cocoa season opens.
According to the government, the new price represents 70% of the gross Free-On-Board (FOB) value of US$7,200 per tonne, a move aimed at fulfilling President John Mahama’s campaign pledge to cocoa farmers.
However, the Minority in Parliament has described the newly announced cocoa producer price of GH₵3,228.75 per bag as a betrayal of Ghanaian cocoa farmers, calling it “ridiculous, unfair and completely unacceptable.”
The current increase draws a clear contrast with the previous administration, under which the FOB value for the 2024/25 season stood at US$4,850 per tonne, with farmers receiving approximately 3,100, 63.9% of the FOB value, despite higher global cocoa prices at the time.
Credit:CNR
