United Party (UP) Communications Director, Solomon Owusu, has challenged the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) to reconcile its past criticism of Ghana’s cocoa producer price with the substantially higher price currently paid to Ghanaian farmers compared with their counterparts in neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire.
Owusu’s intervention follows Côte d’Ivoire’s announcement of a guaranteed farmgate price of 1,200 CFA francs per kilogramme for the 2026/2027 main cocoa crop.
The price, announced in Abidjan on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, by Agriculture Minister Bruno Nabagné Koné, translates to approximately GH¢23.89 per kilogramme based on the exchange-rate conversion cited by Owusu, or about GH¢1,528.96 for a 64-kilogramme bag.
By comparison, Ghana’s current producer price stands at GH¢2,587 for a 64-kilogramme bag, equivalent to approximately GH¢40.42 per kilogramme.
This means Ghana’s current producer price is about 69 percent higher per kilogramme than the newly announced Ivorian price, although the two figures relate to different crop seasons.
Owusu said the comparison should force a more honest national conversation about cocoa pricing and the political use of the issue.
“Being honest with facts and figures does not spoil anything. In fact, it will give you peace of mind because no one party can forever govern this country called Ghana,” he said.
Ghana’s Cocoa Marketing Board (COCOBOD) announced on June 12 that the producer price for the 2026 light crop season would remain at GH¢2,587 per 64-kilogramme bag despite declining international cocoa prices. The decision was presented as an effort to protect farmers’ incomes and provide stability amid volatility on the global market.
Côte d’Ivoire, the world’s largest cocoa producer, meanwhile maintained its farmgate price at 1,200 CFA francs per kilogramme for the 2026/2027 main crop, citing continued volatility in international cocoa prices.
Owusu recalled that the UP had supported Ghana’s GH¢2,587 producer price when it was announced in June, despite criticism from the NPP.
He said the UP’s position at the time was based on the prevailing international cocoa market and a belief that political parties had a responsibility to put national interest ahead of partisan advantage.
According to him, the NPP subsequently toured cocoa farms and sought to create the impression that the government was short-changing farmers.
“We said they were being irresponsible and that after elections what is left is nation building,” Owusu said.
His latest comments appear designed to turn the cocoa pricing debate back on the NPP, using Côte d’Ivoire’s newly announced price as a benchmark to defend Ghana’s current producer price.
He argued that political parties must be prepared to acknowledge facts even when those facts favour an administration they oppose.
“Truth, they say, stands,” he said, adding that the UP would continue to educate Ghanaians despite what he described as “insults and name calling.”
The Ivorian government said its 1,200 CFA-franc price reflects the extreme volatility in international cocoa markets. The new price is also sharply below the 2,800 CFA francs per kilogramme guaranteed at the beginning of Côte d’Ivoire’s previous main crop season, following the decline in global cocoa prices.
Ghana has yet to announce its producer price for the 2026/2027 main crop, meaning the current GH¢2,587 figure remains the applicable published price for the 2026 light crop season. COCOBOD’s current published price is GH¢2,587 per 64-kilogramme bag, or GH¢41,392 per tonne.
Owusu said the price comparison demonstrates why political debate over cocoa must be anchored in facts rather than partisan rhetoric.
“The United Party will continue to educate the masses of this country no matter the insults and name calling so that we can build a Ghana that its citizens will be proud of,” he said.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
