The New Patriotic Party (NPP) is demanding a review of the GH¢2,650 producer price announced for cocoa farmers for the 2026/27 season, arguing that the figure does not adequately reflect the statutory requirement under Ghana’s new cocoa law.
The party says the price, which took effect on September 25, represents only a GH¢63 increase over the GH¢2,587 paid at the close of the previous season—a rise of about 2.4 percent.
In a statement dated September 27, the NPP challenged the government’s assertion that the new price represents 71.18 percent of the realised gross Free-on-Board (FOB) value of cocoa.
The party said the calculation requires greater transparency and questioned whether the announced figure complies with the Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 2026 (Act 1182), which provides for cocoa farmers to receive at least 70 percent of the realised gross FOB price.
COCOBOD, however, has stated that the GH¢42,400-per-tonne producer price, equivalent to GH¢2,650 per 64-kilogramme bag, represents 71.18 percent of the realised gross FOB value and was arrived at after consultations with key stakeholders.
The NPP is nevertheless calling for the pricing formula and figures underpinning the announcement to be made clearer, saying farmers deserve to know how the amount was determined.
The party has also linked its concerns to promises it says were made by leading members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) during the 2024 election campaign.
According to the NPP, President John Dramani Mahama and then-opposition figures including current Food and Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku, Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson and Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh promised cocoa farmers a producer price of GH¢6,000 per bag.
The party said the campaign promises were made against the backdrop of the GH¢3,100 producer price then in effect, which it said NDC leaders criticised as inadequate and argued should represent at least 70 percent of the international market price.
The NPP contends that the latest GH¢2,650 price falls substantially below that campaign figure and is therefore calling for the government to revisit the decision.
The dispute comes as the 2026/27 cocoa season begins under a new legal framework intended to guarantee farmers a minimum share of the realised gross FOB value while introducing broader reforms to the sector.
