The Member of Parliament for Keta and Vice Chairperson of the Parliamentary Cocoa Affairs Committee, Honourable Kwame Gakpey, has accused the NPP Minority of deliberately delaying the passage of the proposed Cocoa Bill. He argued that the legislation has already undergone extensive parliamentary scrutiny and stakeholder engagement before reaching its current stage.
The Keta MP explained that the bill was jointly referred to the Committees on Finance and Cocoa Affairs and Constitutional and Legal Affairs for detailed consideration. Members of the committees subsequently spent several days at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Koforidua reviewing the provisions and making their respective inputs before the report was presented to Parliament.
According to Honourable Gakpey, the proposed legislation seeks to consolidate several existing laws governing Ghana’s cocoa industry. He noted that provisions covering syndicated loans, cocoa pricing, farmer welfare and pension arrangements were previously contained in separate legal instruments.
The Vice Chairperson indicated that bringing those provisions together would create a more coherent legal framework for the sector. He further suggested that the exercise would strengthen arrangements designed to improve the welfare and financial position of cocoa farmers.
A central issue, he noted, is the proportion of the international cocoa price that farmers could receive under the proposed framework. The Keta MP therefore linked the Minority’s position to an attempt to delay the legislation before the commencement of the next cocoa season.
“Their approach is just deliberate to delay the bill so that it won’t be passed into law, where the coming season cocoa farmers will benefit from the 70% of the world price, so that it will inure to the benefit of the government.”
Honourable Kwame Gakpey,
Honourable Gakpey also rejected suggestions that the bill had gone through Parliament without adequate consultation. He recalled that members of the relevant committees spent days examining the legislation and were given opportunities to contribute before the report was laid before the House.
The parliamentary process also considered the financing needs of licensed cocoa purchasing companies. Such companies require access to credit facilities to purchase cocoa beans, making a clear legal framework important for their dealings with financial institutions.
The proposed legislation would provide legal documentation to support financing arrangements for cocoa purchases. According to the Keta MP, the framework would give banks the necessary assurance that government commitments relating to cocoa purchases are backed by law.
Another major provision relates to domestic cocoa processing and value addition. Honourable Gakpey noted that the proposed law provides for 50 per cent of cocoa to be processed in Ghana, which could support efforts to retain more value from the commodity locally.
The framework would also give the Ghana Cocoa Board responsibilities in regulating the purchase and processing of cocoa beans for the domestic market. The arrangement is intended to strengthen local participation in the cocoa value chain and support the development of Ghana’s processing industry.
Farmer welfare also remains an important component of the proposed legislation. Pension arrangements and other welfare provisions are among the areas being brought together under the new framework.
The Majority side therefore views the bill as an effort to streamline existing legislation governing cocoa production and marketing. From the Keta MP’s perspective, completing the process before the next cocoa season would enable farmers to benefit from the proposed arrangements.
New Cocoa Rules Target Farm Conversion and Illegal Mining
The proposed Cocoa Bill also introduces provisions governing the conversion of cocoa farms and the use of agricultural land. Honourable Kwame Gakpey linked these measures to the need to protect cocoa growing areas from activities that could damage the environment.
Addressing the issue of farm conversion, the Keta MP argued that regulation becomes necessary where changes in land use could facilitate illegal mining. He pointed to the pollution of water bodies through galamsey and the potential damage such activities could cause to communities and agricultural production.
A key provision concerns mining activities close to cocoa farms. According to the Vice Chairperson, the proposed legislation requires a 500 metre distance between cocoa farms and mining pits to reduce the risk of environmental pollution.
The requirement would also give authorities an opportunity to assess proposed changes to land use before farmers proceed. Such supervision, he indicated, could help determine whether the intended activity complies with the relevant agricultural and environmental requirements.
The farm conversion provision has generated debate over whether farmers would require approval when they decide to stop cultivating cocoa and plant another crop. Honourable Gakpey nevertheless argued that the approval process is intended to protect agricultural land and safeguard resources that serve the wider population.
The Keta MP further distinguished between legitimate farming activities and the wholesale destruction of cocoa farms for activities such as illegal mining. He noted that measures relating to pruning and disease control remain accommodated within the proposed framework.
The proposed restrictions would therefore regulate the removal of cocoa trees and changes in the use of established cocoa farms. Farmers seeking to clear their farms for another purpose would be expected to obtain the necessary approval before undertaking such activities.
Such supervision, according to the legislator, would enable authorities to establish the reason for a proposed change and determine whether it is environmentally acceptable. It would also help prevent agricultural land from being converted into sites for activities capable of polluting water bodies.
Environmental protection consequently forms a significant part of the proposed legislation. The debate surrounding the bill therefore extends beyond cocoa production to include land management, mining activities and the protection of natural resources.
The framework is also expected to establish clearer responsibilities for stakeholders within cocoa growing communities. For the Majority side, the regulatory measures provide a means of protecting cocoa farms while addressing activities that threaten the environment.
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