The Chairman of Parliament’s Economy and Development Committee, Hon. Eric Afful, has accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of creating the current Ghana cocoa crisis through years of mismanagement and financial recklessness at the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
The opposition party, he said, had conveniently forgotten its role in destabilising the cocoa sector between 2021 and 2024.
“The NPP is confused and has soon forgotten that the current situation our gallant cocoa farmers are facing was created by its own regime,” he stated.
Responding to Minority claims on the recent cocoa crisis on Thursday, the Amenfi West MP revealed that during the 2023/2024 crop year, the NPP government secured an $800 million syndicated facility to finance cocoa purchases and deliveries to international clients.
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However, he said the funds were poorly managed, leading to a major shortfall.
“At the end of the season, about 333,000 metric tonnes of cocoa were not delivered, and the money cannot be traced in the books of COCOBOD,” he disclosed.
According to him, the missing deliveries damaged COCOBOD’s credibility and made it unattractive to lenders in the 2024/2025 season.
The Economy Committee Chair noted that the loss of confidence in COCOBOD resulted in the absence of seed funding for cocoa purchases, forcing many Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs), including the Produce Buying Company (PBC), to collapse.
He explained that this development worsened the Ghana cocoa crisis and affected thousands of livelihoods.
“The collapse of these LBCs has brought serious hardship to cocoa farmers, transporters, carriers, and workers across the country,” he said.
He added that rural economies, which depend heavily on cocoa production, are severely impacted.
Hon. Afful highlighted several interventions introduced by the current NDC government to revive the cocoa sector. One of the major reforms, he said, was the reintroduction of free fertiliser for cocoa farmers.
“The cooperative system where farmers paid for fertiliser has been changed. Fertiliser is now free, just as it was between 2014 and 2016,” he explained.
He further accused the NPP of selling fertiliser meant to be distributed freely after taking office in 2017. “They sold those same bags to farmers at 80 cedis per bag, even though they were meant to be free,” he alleged.
Due to the damaged reputation of COCOBOD, Hon. Afful admitted that the institution has been unable to secure syndicated loans in recent seasons.
However, he assured that the government had found alternative financing arrangements. “Since January 2025, COCOBOD has found a substitute for cocoa purchases,” he stated.
He added that the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Ghana are working together to replace the traditional syndication system.
The MP expressed concern over the sharp decline in cocoa output, which fell from 967,000 metric tonnes in 2016 to below 400,000 metric tonnes in 2024.
To reverse the trend, he said the government has intensified the Cocoa Rehabilitation Programme to restore productivity and increase volumes nationwide.
Hon. Afful also announced that cocoa farmers are now receiving 70 per cent of the world market price under the NDC administration.
He described the policy as a major step towards improving farmers’ incomes and restoring confidence in the sector.
“This government is committed to ensuring that farmers benefit fairly from their hard work,” he said.
The Chairman disclosed that the NDC government had begun delivering the 333,000 metric tonnes of cocoa that were left undelivered under the previous administration.
He dismissed criticisms by the NPP, insisting that the party lacked the moral authority to comment on the state of COCOBOD.
“The NPP does not have the moral right to accuse this government. We are solving the problems they created and handed over to us,” he declared.
He urged Ghanaians to support ongoing reforms aimed at addressing the cocoa crisis and stabilising the industry and safeguarding farmers’ livelihoods.