Government will bear some key expenses of cocoa farmers despite a significant rise in the producer price of cocoa, Keta MP Kwame Gakpey has said.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Tuesday, August 5, the MP explained that the policy is a deliberate effort to boost production while reducing the financial burden on farmers.
His comments followed the announcement by Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson that the producer price of cocoa has been increased from $3,100 to $5,040 per tonne for the 2025/26 season.
This 62.58 per cent jump is in line with President Mahama’s promise to give farmers 70 per cent of the Free-On-Board (FOB) value.
Dr. Forson, who chairs the Producer Price Review Committee, announced in a social media post on Monday, August 4.
Kwame Gakpey said that apart from the 62 per cent farmers will now receive, government will also provide free fertiliser.
“Free input in terms of agrochemicals will also be given to them,” he added.
He disclosed that the children of cocoa farmers will benefit from a strictly enforced scholarship programme.
“The scholarship, as we speak, sometimes the cocoa scholarship goes to people who are endowed and rich. But this one is going to be strictly adhered to by the children of cocoa farmers.”
The MP also revealed that new weighing measures will be enforced to stop cheating at rural cocoa buying centres.
“Where companies in the rural area even cheat farmers in terms of weighing scale, strict measuring scales are going to be put in place so that they don’t cheat them. And all this is going to inure to the benefit of the farmer.”
Host Evans Mensah pointed out that these measures were likely introduced to balance the effect of the producer price increase, since cedi depreciation could reduce the real value of income for farmers.
In response, Gakpey clarified that the farmers will still earn more.
“No, they are getting much, but these are some of the things they spend their resources on. And government is going to give them free so that at the end of the day, it will boost production.”
He added that this policy is being implemented with care, given the financial situation of Cocobod.
“You must also look at the indebtedness of the Cocobod, because you don’t want to do anything to crush the economy.”
He noted that this is only the beginning of the Mahama-led administration’s plans for the cocoa sector.
“This is just six months. And the people of Ghana have given us a four-year mandate. And this is just the beginning.”
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