Andy Appiah-Kubi, a former member of parliament for Asante Akim North, has said management of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) must cut salaries by 28% to show commitment following the crisis in the cocoa sector.
According to him, COCOBOD management’s slashing of salaries by 28 per cent will demonstrate they are finding solutions to the crisis.
Speaking on TV3 Key Points on Saturday, February 14, Andy Appiah-Kubi stated, “I want to wake up to the news that COCOBDO management has received sales of 28 per cent”.
He further debunked claims that COCOBOD problems started just eight years ago, arguing that COCOBOD are historic, dating back to Nkrumah’s time.
Andy Appiah-Kubi, “The problems of COCOBOD are historic. Why do we continue to look for funding to support cocoa operations in Ghana? We can’t continue to politicise the sector.”
“The problems of COCOBOD are historic, so I don’t agree that it started 8 years ago. From Nkrumah’s time up to now, we were supposed to build enough funding to avoid syndication. The moment we started looking for funding for COCOBOD, I knew we had issues. The problems are multiple.”
“If the international price is 52,000, let’s make an adjustment so that the farmers can get 70 per cent of the returns…we have been fair to the farmer in the last year”.
Also, Nana Aduna II, the spokesperson of the Ghana Farmers Association, has questioned the fairness of the cocoa price reduction.
Speaking on JoyNews AM Show, Nana Aduna II quizzed why only cocoa farmers are taking the hit and not COCOBOD staff salaries too.
According to Nana Aduna II, if COCOBOD staff are also taking a hit on their salaries, too, it would create a fairer system and a level playing field for farmers.
Nana Aduna II on the show stated, “The question we would like to ask is, why are only farmers taking the hit? When you look at the trajectory of our cocoa system, there’s the farmer, the haulage system, licensed buying companies, and COCOBOD. That’s before the beans are even exported. So why is the farmer alone taking the hit?”
“The first step should have been to reduce the salaries of staff and the margins that the government makes by the same amount,” he stated.
“If COCOBOD staff were also affected, it would create a fairer system and a level playing field for farmers.
“Farmer groups have been made poor and weakened over time. There is very limited collective bargaining. So how do we fight back? What tools do we have? Do we just put our hands behind our backs?” he asked.
Meanwhile, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, announced a revised cocoa price of 64kg cocoa bag from GHS 3,625 to GHS 2,587 for the remainder of the 2025/2026 season.
According to Ato Forson, the decision comes after the Producer Price Review Committee (PPRC), under his chairmanship, convened earlier in the day to assess the challenges facing the Cocoa sector.
Speaking during a press briefing on Thursday, February 12, Dr Forson disclosed, “The PPRC has recommended that the farmer be paid 90% of the achieved gross fob of USD 4,200 per tonne”.
He added that the committee set the new producer price at GH₵41,392 per tonne, equivalent to GH₵2,587 per bag, effective immediately.
“As a result of that, the PPRC thereby announces that effective today, Thursday, 12th February, 2026, the new producer price for the remainder of the 2025, 2026 crop season will now be GH 41, 392 per tonne and 2,587 per bag,” he noted.
“This measure is necessary to enable the expedited payment of farmers and to guarantee the sustainability of our cocoa industry,” he said.