Cocoa farmers from across Ghana on Tuesday converged in Kumasi to commend the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and the government for what they described as an ‘unprecedented’ increase in the producer price of cocoa for the 2025/2026 crop season.
The farmers also lauded government interventions such as the free distribution of fertilizer, cocoa spraying machines, and other farm inputs, describing them as steps in the right direction to boost yield and productivity.
However, the farmers appealed to the government to intensify efforts in the fight against illegal mining (galamsey), which they say continues to threaten the survival of the cocoa sector.
The government last week announced a new producer price of cocoa at GH₵3,625 per bag, equivalent to GH₵58,000 per tonne, effective Friday, October 3, 2025.
This represents a 12.27 percent increase over the GH₵3,228.75 per bag announced just two months ago in August.
Describing the GH₵400 increment as unprecedented, cocoa farmers on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, gathered in Kumasi to celebrate the announcement and express appreciation to the government and COCOBOD.
The National Chief Cocoa Farmer, Alhaji Alhassan Bukari, revealed that he was taken by surprise when the Minister of Finance invited him to Accra for a meeting on the new cocoa price.
“I was in my office when I was called by the Finance Minister, Dr. Ato Forson, for an emergency meeting at the Ministry of Finance. That was where we were told the government had added four million old Ghana cedis to the price of a bag of cocoa just two months after the previous increment in August. I was very excited about the news.
So today, I convened this meeting in Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region—which is centrally located—for us cocoa farmers to express our appreciation to the government,” Alhaji Bukari said.
The Western South Regional Chief Farmer, Nana Mensah, while addressing his colleague farmers, commended the government for demonstrating goodwill toward cocoa farmers. He outlined several benefits farmers have enjoyed within the first ten months of the current administration.
“We the farmers noticed that some cocoa purchasing clerks were cheating us by tampering with their weighing scales. So, we pleaded with the government to provide us with private scales to check this growing theft. The government, through COCOBOD, listened, and now that issue has been addressed. We again requested weighing stones, which have also been provided. We are grateful to the government for these interventions,” he said.
Nana Mensah also praised the government for fulfilling its promise to support cocoa farmers’ children in tertiary institutions.
“The government promised to give scholarships to cocoa farmers’ children attending tertiary institutions, including fee refunds. This year, I paid my child’s school fees at the university, and the government refunded the money to me. As cocoa farmers, we are very pleased with the government’s performance,” he added.
He further highlighted the ongoing free fertilizer distribution exercise as a significant boost to farmers.
“As we speak, the government has started free fertilizer distribution to cocoa farmers, in addition to the unprecedented price increase. These moves have given us hope in the government’s commitment to reviving the cocoa sector,” he emphasized.
Calls to Intensify Fight Against Illegal Mining
Meanwhile, the Western North Regional Chief Farmer, Nana Charles Owusu, also praised the government for its continued support but urged it to step up the fight against illegal mining activities that are destroying cocoa farmlands nationwide.
“The major problem we face now is illegal mining, known as galamsey. It is threatening our cocoa sector. Currently, we are even struggling to get clean water for farming. We want the government to increase its efforts against galamsey,” he appealed.
Background
Ghana’s cocoa sector has faced challenges in recent years due to declining yields, aging farms, and the impact of illegal mining. The government’s latest interventions including price hikes, input support, and scholarship initiatives are part of a broader effort to revitalize the sector and improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers across the country.
Source: www.kumaasimail.com
