By D.I. Laary
Abura (C/R), May 18, GNA – Cocoa farmers in Ghana are currently earning more per bag than their counterparts in neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire, Nana Attakorah Asante has said, rejecting opposition claims that producers are worse off under the current administration.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, Nana Attakorah Asante, Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese (AAK) Constituency, said current cocoa prices showed that Ghanaian farmers were earning more than their counterparts in Côte d’Ivoire and described attempts to suggest otherwise as politically misleading.
His remarks followed recent visits by some leading New Patriotic Party (NPP) members, led by Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, Member of Parliament for Assin South, to communities within the constituency, including Obengkrom, where they engaged cocoa farmers and criticised the government’s cocoa pricing policies and economic management.
Mr Asante said the NPP delegation entered some cocoa-growing communities to convince farmers that the government had failed them following recent cocoa price adjustments linked to global market downturns and economic pressures.
However, he said prevailing cocoa prices within the West African sub-region showed that Ghanaian farmers were earning more than their counterparts in Côte d’Ivoire, accusing the delegation of spreading “falsehood” to mislead farmers.
“They came into the communities and told cocoa farmers that this government has cheated them on prices, but that is not the reality on the ground,” he said. “As we speak, Ghana cocoa farmers are earning more than those in Côte d’Ivoire.”
He added that claims that cocoa farmers had stronger purchasing power under the previous administration did not reflect current market realities.
“Our opponents said cocoa farmers could buy more cement under the previous administration, but when you compare current prices and purchasing power, that argument does not hold,” he said.
His comments come amid growing public debate over cocoa producer prices following recent adjustments announced by the Ghana Cocoa Board as part of measures to stabilise the sector.
Mr Asante said Ghana’s cocoa producer price currently stood at about GH¢2,587 per 64-kilogramme bag following the latest adjustments earlier this year.
By contrast, he said cocoa farmers in Côte d’Ivoire currently earned about GH¢1,200 per bag under that country’s mid-crop pricing system.
A Ghana News Agency investigation similarly found that Ghana’s farmgate price remains significantly higher than Côte d’Ivoire’s, citing the same price range of about GH¢2,587 compared with roughly GH¢1,200 per bag.
Nana Asante said the higher producer price in Ghana had contributed to increasing cases of reverse cocoa smuggling from Côte d’Ivoire into Ghana.
“Before, people were smuggling cocoa from Ghana to Côte d’Ivoire. Today, the reverse is happening because Ghanaian prices are more attractive,” he stated.
Mr Asante also dismissed claims that cocoa farmers had lost purchasing power under the current administration, arguing that declining inflation and falling cement prices had improved farmers’ ability to afford building materials.
“Currently, cement prices in many parts of the constituency range between GH¢72 and GH¢82 per bag. Farmers can still buy around 30 bags of cement with proceeds from one bag of cocoa and even get some balance,” he said.
Mr Asante said government interventions in the cocoa sector extended beyond producer prices, citing ongoing fertiliser distribution, cocoa spraying exercises and plans to improve farmers’ share of the Free-On-Board cocoa price.
He further accused the opposition of attempting to create disaffection among cocoa farmers through political propaganda, claiming some participants in the engagements were brought in from outside the affected communities.
“They came with a political agenda, but after we engaged the people and explained the facts, many residents understood the true situation,” he said.
Mr Asante maintained that ongoing development projects facilitated by the Member of Parliament, Mr Felix Ofosu Kwakye, within cocoa-growing communities in the constituency demonstrated the government’s commitment to improving livelihoods.
He cited road projects, classroom blocks, CHPS compounds, boreholes and water supply interventions across the constituency.
“These projects are visible in the communities. The people can see and testify to what is happening,” he added.
Mr Asante called for discussions on cocoa pricing and farmer welfare to be guided by facts rather than partisan politics, stressing the importance of the sector to Ghana’s economy and rural livelihoods.
“This sector supports thousands of families and contributes significantly to the national economy, so we must be careful not to mislead farmers with false information,” he said.
He maintained that the ruling NDC remained committed to improving the welfare of cocoa farmers through better pricing policies, agricultural support programmes and rural development interventions.
“We are urging cocoa farmers to look at the realities on the ground and compare the figures themselves,” he added. “At the moment, Ghanaian cocoa farmers are earning more than their counterparts in Côte d’Ivoire, and that is a fact everybody must acknowledge.”
Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire together produce about 65 per cent of the world’s cocoa and have in recent years collaborated under the Côte d’Ivoire
Ghana Cocoa Initiative to strengthen farmer incomes and improve influence over global cocoa pricing.
GNA
Kenneth Odeng Adade