KEY POINTS
- Cocoa farmers are rejecting the newly announced producer price hike.
- The government defends the price as fair based on FOB.
- Farmers insist the increase falls far below expectations.
Ghana’s cocoa farmers are pushing back against the government’s newly announced producer price for the 2025/26 season, saying the increase is far from enough to offset rising costs and reward their labor.
The government raised the producer price to $5,040 per tonne, up 62.58 percent from $3,100 previously, but many growers say they expected far better.
Cocoa farmers reject new producer price hike
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, Emmanuel Nodjo, a farmer with seven acres under cocoa cultivation, said the mood in farming communities is one of disappointment.
“We were expecting better than this, so the price is not encouraging,” he said, adding that farmers had anticipated at least ¢4,000 per bag.
Government cites FOB value in price decision
Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson announced the new price via social media, saying it reflects President Mahama’s pledge to give farmers 70 percent of the Free-On-Board (FOB) value.
The FOB value, Forson explained, combines contracts sold at $2,600 per tonne during 2023/24 with forward sales for the coming season. He also criticized the former NPP government for paying $3,100 per tonne last season—just 63.9 percent of the then-FOB value of $4,850.
Farmers say reality doesn’t match the promise
Despite the political spin, farmers like Nodjo insist the increase still leaves them struggling.
“The farmers don’t like the price,” he said bluntly. “The price isn’t going up, and we aren’t satisfied. We expected more than this.”
For producers, the math may add up in government reports, but it doesn’t add up in the fields.
