News:
February 18, 2026
The Minority Caucus in Ghana’s Parliament has strongly condemned the government’s decision to slash the producer price of cocoa, demanding an immediate reversal to the original rate of GH₵ 3,625 per bag.
The new price of GH₵ 2,587 per 64-kilogram bag, announced by the Mahama-led administration, has been described by the Minority as a shocking blow to Ghanaian cocoa farmers.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, the Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, stated that the reduction is illegally shortchanging farmers mid-way through the crop season.
“The GH₵ 3,625 price was a minimum guaranteed price for the 2025/2026 crop year, which runs from October 1 to September 30,” Afenyo-Markin argued. “We are just midstream of the season. Therefore, government cannot unilaterally vary the minimum guaranteed price to the disadvantage of cocoa farmers.”
A Break from Tradition
The Minority Leader emphasized that while the Producer Price Review Committee (PPRC) is responsible for setting prices, it is unprecedented and unacceptable for the government to reduce farmers’ incomes during the season.
“Government cannot cut the farmer’s price downwards. If anything, the price can be reviewed upward in the course of the year, as has been the case in the past, but never downwards,” he stressed.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin referenced the foundation upon which the original price was set, recalling that in October 2025, the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ato Forson, announced that Cocobod had achieved a significant FOB (Free on Board) price of US$5,040 per tonne.
“That FOB price translated to approximately GH₵ 58,000 per tonne, which justified the GH₵ 3,625 per 64-kilogram bag. There is no justification for this cut now,” he added.
Call for Restitution
The Minority is urging the government to restore the original producer price with immediate effect. Furthermore, they are calling on COCOBOD to compensate farmers and Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) for any losses incurred as a result of the recent announcement.
“We call on government as a matter of urgency to restore the producer price of cocoa to its original value and ensure COCOBOD pays any difference that farmers and the LBCs may have suffered already,” the Minority Leader concluded.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com