Cocoa farmers across Ghana are expressing disappointment over the newly announced producer price for the 2025/26 cocoa season, stating that it falls short of their expectations despite a significant percentage increase.
Emmanuel Nodjo, a cocoa farmer who cultivates seven acres, voiced his concerns during an interview on JoyNews’ PM Express on Tuesday, August 5. According to him, the general mood among cocoa producers is one of dissatisfaction.
“We were expecting better than this, so the price is not encouraging,” Mr. Nodjo said frankly.
On Monday, Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson announced via social media that the government had approved a new producer price of $5,040 per tonne — up from $3,100 — reflecting a 62.58% increase. The announcement followed a meeting of the Producer Price Review Committee, which the minister chairs.
However, the news has not been met with much enthusiasm by farmers like Mr. Nodjo, who argue that the new figure still doesn’t reflect the true value of their hard work.
“The farmers are not very happy with the price,” he reiterated. “The price is not appreciating, and we are not happy. We were expecting better than this — at least ¢4,000 — but it didn’t happen.”
Defending the decision, Dr. Forson explained that the $5,040 per tonne aligns with President John Mahama’s commitment to ensure cocoa farmers receive 70% of the Free-On-Board (FOB) value. He noted that the current FOB value is based on a combination of contracts sold at $2,600 per tonne for the 2023/24 season and projected sales for the 2025/26 season.
The Minister also criticized the previous government, pointing out that the NPP administration paid $3,100 per tonne during the 2024/25 season, which represented only 63.9% of the FOB value of $4,850 at the time.
Still, for many farmers, political comparisons do little to improve their day-to-day realities. Emmanuel Nodjo’s message to the government remains clear: despite the statistics, they are not impressed.
“The numbers do not match the sweat on our farms,” he concluded.
Source: Wesleyannews.com
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