The Chairman of Parliament’s Economy and Development Committee and Member of Parliament for Amenfi West, Hon. Eric Afful, has accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of being responsible for the current crisis in Ghana’s cocoa sector, insisting the party lacks the moral right to criticise the present government over the challenges facing cocoa farmers.
According to the Amenfi West Member of Parliament, the difficulties confronting cocoa producers and Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) stem from decisions taken under the NPP administration between 2021 and 2024, particularly in the management of cocoa financing arrangements.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Mr Afful disclosed that during the 2023/2024 crop year, the NPP government secured an $800 million cocoa syndication facility for the purchase and delivery of cocoa beans to international clients and creditors. However, he alleged that at the end of the season, about 333,000 metric tonnes of cocoa were not delivered, while the funds could not be traced in the books of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) as seed money for cocoa purchases. He said this development rendered COCOBOD unattractive to creditors, making it impossible for the institution to access cocoa syndication for the 2024/2025 crop season.
Mr Afful explained that the absence of seed funding has led to the collapse of several LBCs, including the Produce Buying Company (PBC), thereby disrupting cocoa purchases at the farm gate and deepening hardship for farmers, transporters, carriers and other workers across the cocoa value chain. He noted that the situation has had severe consequences for rural economies, where cocoa remains a major source of livelihoods and income.
He further stated that the current NDC government has initiated measures to revive the cocoa industry, including alternative financing arrangements since January 2025 to replace the syndication system. He said the Bank of Ghana and the Ministry of Finance are working to establish immediate funding mechanisms to sustain cocoa purchases, while programmes such as the Cocoa Rehabilitation Programme are being implemented to boost production, which has declined from about 967,000 metric tonnes in 2016 to below 400,000 metric tonnes in 2024.
On farmer welfare, Mr Afful revealed that the government has reintroduced a free fertiliser policy for cocoa farmers under a cooperative distribution system, reversing what he described as the sale of fertiliser by the NPP to farmers in previous years. He added that cocoa farmers are currently being paid about 70 per cent of the world market price for their produce, and government is gradually delivering the outstanding 333,000 metric tonnes of cocoa that was left undelivered under the previous administration.
“In conclusion, the NPP does not have the moral right to accuse the current NDC government of the state of COCOBOD,” Mr Afful said, emphasing that the present administration is already addressing the challenges it inherited and putting the cocoa sector back on a path of recovery.
By: Christian Kpesese
