The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has criticised the government’s decision to set the cocoa producer price for the 2026/27 season at GH¢2,650 per 64-kilogramme bag, arguing that the amount is inadequate and may fall below the minimum level required under Ghana’s cocoa pricing law.
In a statement issued on September 27, 2026, the opposition party said the new Ghana cocoa price represents an increase of just GH¢63, equivalent to 2.4 percent, compared with the GH¢2,587 per bag producer price that applied at the end of the 2025/26 cocoa season.
The NPP has called for a review of the 2026/27 cocoa producer price, citing provisions in the Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 2026 (Act 1182). According to the party, the law requires the producer price paid to cocoa farmers for a crop season to be at least 70 percent of the Gross Free-on-Board (FOB) price realised by the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
NPP Questions Cocoa Price Calculation
The opposition party said the government has indicated that the GH¢2,650 cocoa producer price represents 71.18 percent of the Gross FOB price.
However, the NPP disputes the calculation and has called for greater transparency regarding the figures and methodology used to determine the new cocoa producer price in Ghana.
The debate follows the government’s announcement of the 2026/27 cocoa producer price on Friday, September 25, 2026, ahead of the start of the new cocoa season.
The price of cocoa is a major concern for farmers and other stakeholders in Ghana’s agriculture sector, with producer prices influencing farmer incomes, cocoa production and the long-term sustainability of the country’s cocoa industry.
NPP Raises 2024 Campaign Promise
The NPP also accused the government of failing to fulfil promises made to Ghanaian cocoa farmers during the 2024 election campaign.
According to the party, senior members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who were then in opposition, toured several cocoa-growing communities and promised farmers a cocoa producer price of GH¢6,000 per bag.
The NPP specifically mentioned current Food and Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku, Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh and President John Dramani Mahama.
The party further claimed that the NDC campaign team had described the GH¢3,100 per bag being paid to cocoa farmers at the time as exploitative. It said farmers were promised that the cocoa producer price would reflect at least 70 percent of the international market price.
The NPP argued that the government’s subsequent cocoa pricing decisions have remained significantly below the GH¢6,000 per bag figure cited during the 2024 campaign.
The latest controversy is expected to keep cocoa prices, COCOBOD policies, cocoa farmer incomes and Ghana’s cocoa industry at the centre of public discussion as the 2026/27 cocoa season gets underway.
Source: newsthemegh.com