Grace Akosua, a member of the NPP communications team, has warned that cocoa farmers could lose hundreds of thousands of cedis annually following the recent reduction in producer prices.
Speaking in an interview with Lily Mohammed on GHToday on February 18, 2026, she said the reported price cut of about GH¢1,000 per bag could have severe financial consequences for farmers.
“If I’m a cocoa farmer and I’m taking 200 bags of cocoa to Cocoa Board, at the end of the day I’m losing over GH¢200,000. That is not small money,” she stated.
She explained that the reduction, when multiplied by the number of bags produced, translates into huge losses over a season.
“You are taking GH¢1,000 times the 200 bags. That is GH¢200,000 Ghana cedis. How much would you even make for you to lose such an amount of money within a year?” she questioned.
Grace Akosua noted that cocoa farmers already spend heavily on labour and other activities including weeding, harvesting, breaking pods, drying and transporting beans before finally selling to COCOBOD.
“A year of staying in the bush, paying people, labourers to weed your farms, drying them and packing them, paying so much money, and then you come back and I lose over GH¢200,000 Ghana cedis. That is absurd,” she said.
She also recalled that promises were made to cocoa farmers ahead of the elections, including assurances of improved producer prices.
“You can’t promise me that if I vote you into power you are going to give me GH¢6,500, and I make my estimations towards that, and then you come back and tell me you’ve taken me back to what I was taking in 2024,” she argued.
Grace Akosua stressed that farmers are only calling on government not to reduce the producer price any further.
“Please, we beg you, do not take us back to GH¢2,500. Just maintain the old price, GH¢3,000 for us so that we can take care of our families,” she appealed.
She warned that prolonged frustration among farmers could lead to increased cocoa smuggling to neighbouring countries, or push more young people into illegal mining.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh/
