Ghana cocoa farmers threaten nationwide protest over unpaid COCOBOD arrears 

GHANA – Cocoa farmers in Ghana have threatened to embark on a nationwide demonstration next week over unpaid monies owed by the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) for cocoa beans supplied since November 2025, raising concerns about potential disruptions to the country’s cocoa sector. 

Farmers say the prolonged payment delays have plunged them into severe financial hardship, limiting their ability to meet basic needs such as healthcare, household expenses, and school fees.  

They are calling on COCOBOD and government authorities to urgently intervene and clear the outstanding arrears. 

Francis Teinor, President of the Mankrong Cocoa Cooperative Farmers Association, warned that farmer frustrations have reached a critical point.  

Speaking to Citi News, he said: “As I speak, it’s been about six weeks, no money for cocoa farmers. This is seriously affecting the sector. If the COCOBOD CEO does not do anything about it, he should expect something ugly from next week. Farmers are not happy, if he is not careful, we will be on the streets next week.” 

In October 2025, the government set the cocoa farmgate price at 58,000 Ghana cedis per metric tonne, equivalent to about 3,228 cedis per 64-kilogramme bag.  

The price adjustment was accompanied by a new cocoa financing regime after COCOBOD announced it had failed to secure syndicated loans for the 2025/26 crop season. 

Under the revised financing structure, farmers sell cocoa beans to licensed buying companies (LBCs), which in turn sell to COCOBOD. Through its marketing arm, COCOBOD then sells the cocoa to international buyers. However, the payment delays have forced many LBCs operating under COCOBOD to suspend purchases. 

“The money isn’t coming. We’ve credited some bags of the cocoa, for which we expect that payments will be made for them. The LBCs have informed us not to take any cocoa again. They suspect a cocoa price reduction in the coming days,” said Kwadwo Adubofour, a purchasing clerk for Olam. 

Data from the Bank of Ghana shows cocoa traded at approximately US$5,800 per tonne on the global market in December 2025, down sharply from over US$11,000 per tonne at the beginning of the year.  

Industry sources say the decline in international prices has made it difficult for COCOBOD to secure advance payments from traders, prompting central government intervention to provide funding. 

Sources also indicate that COCOBOD is reviewing its financing strategy as large volumes of cocoa beans continue to pile up on farms, placing farmer investments and livelihoods at increasing risk. 

Sign up HERE to receive our email newsletters with the latest news and insights from Africa and around the world, and follow us on our WhatsApp channel for updates.