COCOA BETRAYED: NDC’S GH¢2,587 PRICE CUT IS AN ECONOMIC ATTACK ON GHANAIAN FARMERS
On record and without ambiguity, the decision by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to reduce the producer price of cocoa to GH¢2,587 per bag is a direct financial blow to Ghanaian farmers. The numbers are not political; they are mathematical. Farmers now lose GH¢1,038 per bag, translating into a staggering GH¢16,608 loss per tonne. This is not an adjustment. This is damage.
Cocoa is not just a crop. It is the backbone of rural Ghana. Over 800,000 farming households depend on it for survival. Ghana remains the world’s second-largest cocoa producer, contributing roughly 15–20% of global supply. Any reckless decision on pricing, therefore, affects not only farmers but the entire national economy, from foreign exchange earnings to rural employment.
Under the New Patriotic Party (NPP), cocoa pricing policy was guided by a clear principle: protect the farmer first. When global cocoa prices surged between 2023 and 2024, producer prices were adjusted upward to ensure farmers benefited. The approach was simple: when the world market rises, Ghanaian farmers must not be left behind. Stability, predictability, and farmer confidence were priorities.
Today, under the NDC administration, that philosophy has collapsed. Instead of shielding farmers from volatility, the government has chosen to transfer the burden directly onto their shoulders. A GH¢1,038 loss per bag is not theoretical. It means school fees unpaid. It means fertilizers not purchased. It means farms neglected. It means increased smuggling to neighboring countries where prices are more competitive.
History will mark this reduction as unprecedented. Never before has a government allowed such a drastic producer-level erosion within a single pricing decision. At a time when global cocoa prices have experienced historic highs, even exceeding $10,000 per tonne on international markets in early 2024 Ghanaian farmers are being asked to accept less. That contradiction is indefensible.
The NDC must immediately rescind this reduction. The Ghanaian farmer is not a budget-balancing instrument. Cocoa farmers are not shock absorbers for policy miscalculations. If the government can collect export revenue, it must prioritize fair compensation at the farm gate.
The NPP demonstrated that disciplined economic management can coexist with farmer protection. The current path taken by the NDC threatens morale, production, and national revenue.
This decision is wrong. It is harmful. And it must be reversed now.
By: Blessing Mantey
