Billboards protest cocoa price cut as farmers warn of hardship

A pressure group, The People’s Forum, has launched a billboard campaign across major cocoa-growing areas to protest the government’s mid-season reduction of the cocoa farmgate price, describing the move as devastating for already struggling farmers.

The billboards have appeared in Greater Accra Region, Ashanti Region, Western North Region, and Eastern Region, featuring images of exhausted cocoa farmers standing among harvested pods.

Printed alongside the visuals is the message: “Our sweat, their excuses. GH¢2,587 per bag? How do we survive?” The campaign also carries the hashtags #CocoaFarmersMatter and #JusticeForFarmers.

The action follows the government’s decision to cut the producer price for the remainder of the 2025/2026 season by 28.6 per cent — from GH¢3,625 to GH¢2,587 per 64kg bag.

Announcing the reduction on 12 February, Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson cited falling global cocoa prices and mounting financial pressures facing the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).

But The People’s Forum said the price adjustment shifts the burden of global market volatility onto smallholder farmers.

In a statement, the group described the billboards as a “wake-up call” to policymakers, warning that continued inaction could trigger protests in cocoa-growing communities.

Farmers interviewed in the Ashanti, Western North and Eastern regions said the new rate barely covers production costs, as the prices of labour, fertiliser and transportation continue to rise.

Some said they risk operating at a loss this season.

“We are spending more to maintain our farms but earning less,” one farmer said. “At this price, you can’t even break even.”

The group argues that shrinking incomes could worsen rural poverty and push farmers to abandon cocoa farming altogether, with knock-on effects for local economies that depend heavily on the crop.

Cocoa remains one of Ghana’s top export earners and the main source of livelihood for hundreds of thousands of rural households.

The People’s Forum is urging the government to reconsider the cut and introduce measures to cushion producers, including price stabilisation mechanisms and greater transparency in cocoa sector management.

The group says it plans to expand the campaign nationwide if the decision is not reviewed.