“Reverse it now, you’re making us poorer”: Miracles conveys farmers’ anger over cocoa pricing

Cocoa farmers across Ghana’s growing belt are reeling from disappointment and financial strain following the government’s reduction of the producer price, with many describing the decision as a betrayal of earlier promises, according to Dennis Miracles Aboagye, team lead of the People’s Forum.

Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Monday (16 February), Aboagye said his engagements with farmers in several cocoa-growing communities revealed “absolute devastation” and a deep collapse of trust in government.

“You could clearly see on the faces of the farmers the absolute devastation,” he said. “The gap between what they were promised and what they are now receiving is too wide. It’s heartbreaking when you sit with them.”

The government had earlier announced a higher producer price at the start of the season but later reduced it — a move farmers say upends their financial planning and credit arrangements.

‘Broken trust’

According to Aboagye, many farmers based their voting decisions on campaign assurances of improved cocoa prices and now feel misled.

“The trust is completely broken,” he said. “Farmers say their decisions were anchored on the promise of better prices. Today, they feel betrayed.”

He noted that cocoa households typically operate on credit throughout the season, borrowing against expected harvest earnings to cover food, school fees, farm inputs and daily expenses.

When prices fall unexpectedly, he explained, farmers struggle to repay existing debts and must borrow again just to stay afloat.

“They buy food on credit, take loans on credit, maintain their farms on credit. When the season ends, they pay everyone,” he said. “Now they’re being forced to borrow again just to settle old debts.”

Rising costs, falling revenue

Aboagye said farmers face a double squeeze: increasing production costs and declining revenues.

He cited estimates from growers indicating that maintaining an acre of cocoa has risen by more than GH¢2,000, while labour costs have doubled or tripled as workers shift to illegal mining, locally known as galamsey.

“In some areas, labour that used to cost GH¢50 or GH¢60 now costs GH¢120 to GH¢150, and even at that rate, they can’t find workers,” he said. “Young people prefer galamsey where they can make far more in a day.”

With incomes shrinking, some farmers are warning they may cut down farm maintenance or even abandon cocoa altogether.

“They’re telling us if this continues, they may reduce production or give out their lands,” he added. “That’s dangerous for the entire cocoa economy.”

One clear demand

Despite broader concerns about the finances of Ghana Cocoa Board, which government has cited as part of the pricing challenge, Aboagye said farmers are not interested in institutional explanations.

“They don’t want excuses,” he stressed. “They have one simple demand: reverse the reduction.”

“At the very least, take it back to where you inherited it. That’s all they’re asking for.”

He argued that policy reforms should not come at the expense of smallholder farmers.

“Why should farmers suffer for debts they didn’t create?” he asked. “If you don’t protect them, you may not even have cocoa in the future.”