The Ghanaian government has increased the producer price of cocoa to GH₵3,000 ($191) per 64kg bag for the 2024/2025 season. The price was formerly GH₵1,308 per 64kg bag, which was set in September 2023.
The new price was announced by the Ghanaian Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr Bryan Acheampong, on Friday. He said this development represents a record increase of 129.36 per cent.
Acheampong said the price increment demonstrated the government’s commitment to improve the cocoa sector and increase the income of the cocoa farmers in the nation.
However, the National Association of Cocoa Farmers registered its displeasure with the new price the cocoa was increased to, saying they had expected their proposed price of GH₵6,000 Per 64kg to be approved by the government.
We are extremely outraged by the new price, said the president of the association, Stephenson Anane. We are not trying to create a bad situation for the government, but our cocoa sector has become a political tool with which our politicians are playing.
Our message is that the government has no investment in cocoa farms. It’s the farmers who invest significant resources into their farms. The government does not have commercial farms in Ghana, yet it does not regard us. When it comes to matters of cocoa and its related activities, they don’t consult the farmers, Anane complained.
He further said the Ghanaian government is exploiting cocoa farmers.
They take our cocoa, sell it, and return to give us peanuts. They have not introduced any meaningful policies to improve the lives of cocoa farmers, Anane added.
Ghana is one of the biggest cocoa producers in the world. Over the past year, the global cocoa market has witnessed instability in the market, with Ghanaian cocoa farmers calling for an increase in the producer price.
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