Pay cocoa farmers what is due them – Afenyo-Markin to gov’t

Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has urged the government to immediately settle outstanding payments owed to cocoa farmers across the country.

Mr. Afenyo-Markin, who also serves as Member of Parliament for Effutu, made the demand during the New Patriotic Party’s thanksgiving service following what the party described as a successful flag bearer election.

Addressing party faithful, he said the focus of the opposition would remain on bread-and-butter issues affecting ordinary Ghanaians, particularly cocoa farmers who he claimed were suffering financial losses.

“What I want every member of the New Patriotic Party to tell the NDC government is that it’s not the big English you speak in the media or social media and Civil Society Organizations speaking big English,” he stated.

He added, “Cocoa farmers are demanding their payment. Pay them. Every cocoa farmer is losing 10 million per bag, that is what we are talking about.”

According to him, the Minority in Parliament would escalate the matter this week to demand accountability from the government.

“So this week, for us in the Minority, we will deal with it in Parliament,” he stressed, signaling a possible parliamentary showdown over cocoa pricing and payments.

The Thanksgiving service was held after former Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia was retained as the New Patriotic Party’s flag bearer for the 2028 general election.

Party leaders described the internal contest as peaceful and reflective of the party’s democratic maturity.

Mr. Afenyo-Markin said the renewed mandate given to Dr. Bawumia positions the party strongly ahead of the next general election.

He urged party supporters to remain united and channel their energies into addressing national issues.

While celebrating the outcome of the flagbearer race, he insisted that the party would not lose sight of its responsibility as the Minority to scrutinize government policies.

The Minority Leader indicated that Parliament would be used as the primary platform to demand clarity on cocoa pricing and payments in the coming days.

Ghana’s cocoa sector, traditionally a backbone of the economy, plunged into a deep financial crisis that has affected farmers, Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs), and the national regulator, Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).

The crisis stems from structural financing problems and a collapse of the cocoa financing model that the sector relied on for decades.

For more than 30 years, Ghana financed its cocoa purchases through an annual syndicated loan from international banks, which provided cash up front to pay farmers at the start of each season.

However, this system broke down after COCOBOD defaulted on delivery obligations because it failed to deliver large volumes of cocoa promised under contracts.

Without that syndicated financing, COCOBOD had to shift to a buyer-financing model where international traders pre-finance purchases, a much less stable arrangement.