Cocoa Farmers Threaten to Block COCOBOD Officers Over ‘Unfair’ Producer Price

Vice President of the Ghana Cooperative Cocoa Farmers and Marketing Association, Theophilus Tamakloe, said the price falls short of the government’s own promise to pay farmers at least 70% of the free-on-board (FOB) international price. By his estimates, that should have translated to about GH¢3,800 per bag.

“If I’m close to the Côte d’Ivoire border, probably all my cocoa beans will go to Côte d’Ivoire because the government has not been fair to us,” Tamakloe warned.

Kwame Alex, Ghana’s Best Cocoa Farmer at the recent national awards, also criticised the pricing, pointing to a GH¢700 differential between Ghanaian and Ivorian farmgate prices. He cautioned that such gaps create powerful incentives for smuggling.

Beyond pricing, farmers cited rising costs of production as a major concern. Inputs such as insecticides now sell for GH¢150 each, while equipment rentals can reach GH¢100 per day, further squeezing already thin margins.

The coalition’s threat to ban COCOBOD officers—who provide critical extension services including crop monitoring and farmer education marks a sharp escalation that could disrupt the sector’s support systems.

Ghana, the world’s second-largest cocoa producer, is already grappling with widespread cross-border smuggling. COCOBOD estimates that the country lost about 160,000 tons of cocoa to illegal trade in the 2023/24 season alone.

The standoff underscores deepening frustration among farmers, who argue that without a fairer pricing structure, both livelihoods and the long-term sustainability of the sector remain at risk.