The Western North Regional Communication Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Addo Harry, has raised serious concerns over the continued neglect of cocoa farmers in Ghana.
He warned that the delay in increasing the producer price of cocoa is deepening poverty among farmers and threatening the sustainability of the cocoa sector.
In a Facebook post cited by Sefwinews, Addo Harry lamented that many cocoa farmers in the Western North Region are struggling to survive due to the rising cost of living and stagnant cocoa prices.
He stressed that the government’s delay in announcing a new cocoa price has pushed some farmers to sell their produce across the border to neighbouring countries where they can get better deals.
According to him, the lack of timely incentives and fair pricing is not only demoralizing cocoa farmers but also forcing some of them to abandon their farms and resort to illegal mining as a means of livelihood.
“Neglecting cocoa farmers: delay in price increase deepens poverty, spurs smuggling and illegal mining,” Addo Harry posted, highlighting the urgent need for the government to take swift action to safeguard the cocoa sector, which remains a backbone of the country’s economy.
He called on policymakers to prioritize the welfare of cocoa farmers by implementing timely and competitive pricing mechanisms that reflect the global cocoa market trends and cost of production.
