Cocoa farmers across Ghana are intensifying pressure on the government and the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) over unpaid arrears for cocoa beans supplied since November 2025. The cocoa farmers say the prolonged delay in payment has severely disrupted their livelihoods and farming activities, leaving many unable to cater to basic needs or properly maintain their farms. According to the cocoa farmers, they have supplied cocoa beans to COCOBOD for months without receiving payment, a situation they describe as unbearable.
Since November 2025, cocoa farmers say repeated appeals to the government and COCOBOD have yielded no concrete results, forcing them to publicly cry out for intervention. They insist that without prompt payment, cocoa farming will become increasingly difficult and unsustainable.
Responding to the concerns, Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD, Randy Abbey, acknowledged the challenges cocoa farmers are facing and assured that efforts are underway to resolve the matter. Mr. Abbey explained that the government, COCOBOD, and the Ministry of Finance are currently reviewing a new funding model aimed at addressing payment delays while supporting long-term value addition in the cocoa sector.
According to him, the existing syndicated financing structure compels COCOBOD to commit a large portion of cocoa beans as collateral for loans, which undermines plans to process cocoa locally. He noted that committing between 70 and 75 percent of cocoa beans for raw export makes it difficult to simultaneously pursue value addition, especially when the country is promoting increased local processing capacity.
“We appreciate what the cocoa farmers are going through. We know these are very difficult times, but we appeal to them to keep faith with us. We will find a solution very soon,” Mr Abbey added.
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