Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama has condemned Cocobod for prioritizing excessive spending at its Accra headquarters over supporting cocoa farmers.
Speaking in an interview at the end of his five-day tour of the Eastern Region, Mahama expressed concern about Cocobod’s financial management, especially amidst declining cocoa production.
“This is unacceptable. Over the past four years, cocoa production has fallen to 555,000 tonnes, while Cocobod’s headquarters expenditure has ballooned to an alarming GHC3.4 billion in 2023. How does this benefit our hardworking farmers? They are rather spending it on cars and undeserving salaries.”
“Cocoa farmers have been struggling for a long time, and yet Cocobod finds it appropriate to spend huge sums of money on its headquarters” he said.
He noted that there are plans to revitalize the cocoa sector and enhance farmers’ livelihoods if elected in the upcoming elections.
“We have said that we will do better with the management of the cocoa sector. Cocoa farmers will benefit immensely under our government. We plan to implement year-round irrigation in cocoa-growing areas and build cocoa processing plants to add value locally,” he emphasized.
As part of supporting cocoa farmers, President Akufo-Addo announced an increase in the cocoa producer price from GH₵3,000 to GH₵3,100 per 64kg bag, representing a slight rise of 0.03% from the previous rate set in September for the 2024/2025 crop season.
The adjustment, which translates to GH₵49,600 per tonne, is intended to align cocoa prices with current market conditions and provide additional support to Ghanaian cocoa farmers.
