A communications team member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Yaw Opoku Mensah, has warned that Ghana’s economy risks serious setbacks if cocoa farmers are not paid promptly for their produce, insisting that no meaningful economic progress can be achieved at the expense of the nation’s farmers.

His comments come amid growing frustration across the cocoa belt over delayed payments for the 2025/26 crop season.

Thousands of farmers have reportedly waited for months without receiving their dues, sparking protests and urgent calls for action from farmer groups and industry stakeholders. Many have not been paid for deliveries as far back as November 2025, prompting fears that prolonged delays could threaten cocoa production and rural livelihoods.

In October 2025, COCOBOD signed a contract with cocoa farmers to purchase a 64-kilogramme bag of cocoa at GH¢3,625 for the 2025/26 season.

Under the pricing framework, COCOBOD is legally obligated to pay this amount regardless of global cocoa price fluctuations. Even if the world price rises, farmers receive the agreed price, and if the world price falls, COCOBOD must still honour the terms of the contract.

The ongoing payment delays have intensified pressure on COCOBOD and its leadership.

CEO Dr Randy Abbey has acknowledged the financial strain on the cocoa sector, citing funding challenges and market conditions that have delayed payments. COCOBOD officials say they are working with the ministry of finance and exploring new financing models to clear arrears, with some efforts already underway to pay Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs), who then pay farmers.

The Licensed Cocoa Buyers Association of Ghana has urged the government to secure funding to clear outstanding payments and stabilise the industry, warning that funding shortfalls and reduced buyer interest could undermine the sector’s long-term sustainability.

According to Mr Opoku Mensah, cocoa farmers remain the backbone of Ghana’s agricultural export sector, and any failure to honour commitments could erase the economic gains the government claims to have achieved.

“You do not build an economy by betraying the farmers who feed it,” he stated.

He stressed that COCOBOD, under Dr Abbey, has no justification for failing to meet its obligations.

Delayed payments, he warned, could worsen poverty in cocoa-growing communities and force farmers into distress decisions such as selling their farms to illegal miners or abandoning cocoa farming.

“When farmers are not paid what is due them, some are forced to sell their farms to illegal miners or abandon cocoa farming altogether. This compounds their poverty and threatens the long-term sustainability of the cocoa sector,” he said.

Mr Opoku Mensah, therefore, called on COCOBOD to immediately pay cocoa farmers what they are owed under the 2025/26 pricing agreement and ensure that any future price adjustments are handled transparently.

“COCOBOD must pay now and engage farmers properly on any adjustments in the next pricing window. Ghana’s economy cannot be built on broken promises,” he concluded.