The Minority Caucus of Ghana’s Parliament has berated the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) for its treatment of cocoa farmers and stakeholders in the cocoa value chain in Ghana.
In a statement issued by its Ranking Member on the Finance Committee of Parliament, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the minority said that farmers and other stakeholders in the cocoa sector are becoming very frustrated with the actions and inactions of the government.
It said that even though the 2022 cocoa season has already started the government has failed to set the price of cocoa.
“Farmers and stakeholders are running out of patience for COCOBOD. Every year cocoa prices are announced at the opening of the season. 1st October is internationally recognised as the start of the cocoa season worldwide as affirmed by the UN body for cocoa, the International Cocoa Organisation – ICCO.
“This year COCOBOD opened the cocoa season without a producer price for cocoa. After wasting scarce resources to organise a cocoa day that, was poorly attended, farmers and stakeholders in the cocoa industry are left in suspense about the price,” parts of the statement read.
The minority also warned COCOBOD and thus the government against any attempt to short-change cocoa farmers by announcing prices that are below GH¢1000 per a bag of cocoa.
“After all this uncertainty, government should not announce any price below GH¢1000 per bag, or GH¢16,000 per tonne. Ghanaians are all witnesses to the historic depreciation of the Cedi. In 2021, COCOBOD used an exchange rate of GH¢6 to $1. We wish to remind them that the dollar is now more than 10. Even at the dollar equivalent price, farmers and all stakeholders including LBCs and Haulers should receive higher prices and margins this year,” it added.