Cocoa farmers have expressed concerns over the delay of payments for the purchase of their cocoa beans as far back as November 2025, affecting their household welfare and the stability of the industry.
The concerns are contained in a signed document by Mr Yaw Dormacho, a cocoa farmer, titled “The Cocoa Farmer’s Cry: A Nation’s Backbone Left to Break,” and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), who spent his formative years in Sefwi Debiso and a son of a cocoa farmer in the Western North Region.
The document indicated that the delayed payments were affecting farmers’ ability to meet basic obligations, including school fees and household expenses.
It reported that farmers from Western, Western North, Ashanti, Eastern and Bono regions who sent their cocoa beans since November 2025 remained unpaid as of April 2026, describing the situation as “six months of silence, six months of suffering.”
The document underscored cocoa’s historical role as Ghana’s leading foreign exchange earner since the colonial era, contributing significantly to infrastructure development, education, and public services.
It notesd that more than one million smallholder farmers depended on cocoa for their livelihoods, warning that any disruption in the sector has direct human consequences.
“When the cocoa economy falters, it is not a balance sheet that suffers, but a human being in a village staring at bills they cannot pay,” the document stated.
Personal testimony by Mr Dormacho, writing in a personal capacity, said he was neither a politician nor an activist, but “the son of a cocoa farmer who grew up in Sefwi Debiso.”
He recounted how his education up to where he is now, was financed through cocoa farming, stressing that cocoa had not only sustained his family but contributed to national development.
According to the document, some cocoa farmers from the Western North Region picketed the headquarters of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) in Accra on February 20, 2026, demanding payment for beans delivered months earlier.
The Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference has also weighed in, describing efforts to rescue the cocoa sector as “a moral imperative.”
The Conference warned that delayed payments were leading to unpaid labour, disrupted schooling, rising debt levels, and increased vulnerability in cocoa-growing communities.
The document indicated that the Minority in Parliament had been advocating on the issue, although government has reportedly described the concerns as politically motivated.
The document noted that on February 12, 2026, the Ministry of Finance announced a reduction in the producer price of cocoa from GH¢3,625 to GH¢2,587 per 62.5kg bag, representing a decrease of nearly 29 per cent.
The government attributed the reduction to a sharp fall in international cocoa prices, from an average of US$7,200 per tonne to about US$4,100 per tonne.
The document identified structural debt and changes in cocoa marketing strategy as key drivers of the current crisis.
It stated that COCOBOD was grappling with a total debt of GH¢32.91 billion, including a US$481 million loan due for repayment in the 2025/2026 crop season.
It explained that Ghana’s traditional forward sales system, under which about 70 per cent of cocoa was sold in advance to stabilise revenue and had been reduced to about 30 per cent, in anticipation of higher global prices that did not materialise.
It said licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) are reportedly owed about US$10 billion for cocoa deliveries since November 2025, with some remaining unpaid for two consecutive seasons.
The document noted that Purchasing Clerks (PCs), who pre-financed cocoa purchases using borrowed funds, now faced significant financial losses, especially following the producer price reduction.
“This has resulted in a devastating erosion of capital for these vulnerable actors within the cocoa value chain,” it stated.
While COCOBOD has reportedly released GH¢3.62 billion towards the payment of arrears, the document said the amount remained insufficient to fully settle outstanding obligations.
It argued cocoa farmers continue to bear the brunt of institutional and policy decisions, despite having no role in their formulation.
“The farmer did not design the forward sales strategy, nor negotiate contracts that were later defaulted upon. The farmer simply grew the cocoa and waited,” it said.
It called for a review of the pricing model, arguing that if the retained margin cannot adequately support farmers during downturns, its justification must be reconsidered.
The document cautioned against direct comparisons with neighbouring countries such as Côte d’Ivoire, noting differences in institutional frameworks and economic contexts.
It urged policymakers to assess Ghana’s cocoa pricing system based on its own fiscal capacity and social obligations.
The document called for immediate payment of arrears and a renewed commitment to treating cocoa farmers as partners in national development rather than “shock absorbers” of systemic challenges.
GNA
