Nana Oboadie Boateng Bonsu, President of the Concerned Cocoa Farmers Association, has expressed mixed feelings about the 2025/2026 cocoa pricing announced by Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, highlighting how the Ghanaian cedi’s strong performance against other currencies has influenced the outcomes for farmers.
On August 4, 2025, Dr. Forson announced the new farmgate price for cocoa at GHS 3,228.75 per 64-kilogram bag, a slight increase from the GHS 3,100 per bag set for the 2024/2025 season.
While global cocoa prices surged to about $7,555 per tonne, this rise was tempered locally by the appreciation of the Ghanaian cedi, which dampened the price increase farmers ultimately received in cedi terms.
In an interview on JoyNews’ PM Express monitored by Kumasimail, Boateng Bonsu humorously remarked that the Finance Minister “has forced too much,” a strategy that, while stabilizing the economy, has had adverse impacts on cocoa farmers.
Nana Oboadie Boateng Bonsu, who owns nearly 12 acres of cocoa farms spread across the Western, Western North, and Eastern regions and stated expectations were higher.
Highlighting the disparity between policymakers and farmers, he compared farmers’ earnings to the salaries debated for Members of Parliament, emphasizing the hard work and importance of cocoa farmers to the Ghanaian economy.
He said “We have a member of parliament sitting here, and there was even a time when parliament was talking about increasing their salary. So just imagine people who are there to serve the country voluntarily, while we are working hard as the backbone of our economy. I think we deserve better.”
Boateng Bonsu noted the fluctuations seen with the cedi stating “But at the end of the day, looking at the exchange rate and how the dollar is coming down, Ato is trying to force too much in a way that is affecting us.
“Ato has forced too much. The forcing that Ato forced has affected us farmers because, at the end of the day, the dollar was 17, which was good for some people, even the diaspora were making a lot of money. But ultimately, it was also damaging our economy,” he argued.
He acknowledged the Finance Minister’s efforts to manage the currency, but urged for a better price reflecting farmers’ needs.
“You see, Ato has tried his best, but at the end of the day, what we are expecting is that we should at least get something bigger than that, he remarked.
Source: www.Kumasimail/KwadwoOwusu
