The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has challenged the government’s decision to set the producer price of cocoa for the 2026/27 season at GH¢2,650 per 64-kilogramme bag, describing the price as inadequate and alleging that it falls below the statutory minimum prescribed by law.
In a press statement dated September 27, the NPP said the new price represents an increase of only GH¢63, or 2.4 percent, over the GH¢2,587 per bag that prevailed at the close of the 2025/26 cocoa season.
The opposition party argued that the government’s decision should be reviewed, particularly in light of provisions in the Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 2026 (Act 1182), which it says requires the producer price for a crop season to be at least 70 percent of the Gross Free-on-Board (FOB) price realised by COCOBOD.
According to the NPP, the government has maintained that the GH¢2,650 producer price represents 71.18 percent of the Gross FOB price.
The party, however, disputes the calculation and is calling for greater transparency on the figures used to arrive at the announced price.
The government announced the producer price for the new cocoa season on Friday, September 25, 2026.
The NPP also criticised the government over what it described as a failure to fulfil promises made to cocoa farmers during the 2024 election campaign.
The party said leading members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), including President John Dramani Mahama, Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, Food and Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku and Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, toured cocoa-growing communities during the campaign and promised farmers a producer price of GH¢6,000 per bag.
According to the NPP, the campaigners also described the then GH¢3,100 producer price as exploitative and said cocoa farmers deserved at least 70 percent of the world market price.
The party said subsequent pricing decisions by the government have fallen significantly below that campaign promise.
Source: Wesleyannews.com
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