Former President John Dramani Mahama has lamented the rate at which cocoa farmers in the country are selling their lands off to galamsey operators because cocoa production is no longer profitable.

According to him, the Akufo-Addo-led government has succeeded in destroying the cocoa sector of the Ghanaian economy. He indicated that cocoa farmers were previously paid instantly during the era of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) whenever they sold their cocoa. However, presently, he stated that it now takes the farmers several months to receive payment.

Additionally, Mr Mahama revealed that farmers no longer enjoy free fertilizer as they used to during the period of the NDC.

Speaking during his campaign tour of the Western North Region today, April 25, 2023, Mr Mahama noted that these factors have negatively impacted the cocoa sector.

“Cocoa farmers are now selling their lands to galamseyers because it is no longer profitable. It takes the farmers three months for them to get their funds when they sell their cocoa but under the NDC, it was instant payment. We also gave cocoa farmers fertilizers free of charge.”
John Dramani Mahama

Furthermore, the former President recounted that hitherto and for every year under the NDC administration, the government adjusted the producer prices for cocoa. However, currently, he stated that the government does little adjustment once in four years and this has affected the cocoa business badly, making it no longer lucrative.

Earlier this year, Mr Samuel Asare Ankamah, Deputy Executive Director in charge of Agronomy at Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), urged cocoa farmers to desist from the practice of selling their farmlands for galamsey activities.

He expressed concern over how some traditional and community leaders were complicit in facilitating the selling of cocoa farmlands for galamsey activities without the consent of some of the farmers due to land tenure systems.

Cocoa farmers urged to refrain from selling lands

Mr Asare Ankamah bemoaned how galamsey activities continues to destroy cocoa farms in most of the cocoa farming communities. The situation, he indicated, compelled innocent farmers who were not ready to give out their farmlands for galamsey activities to do so due to the rippling effects of galamsey on adjoining cocoa farms.

Subsequently, the Deputy Executive Director interacted with cocoa farmers at Anomawobidi on the need to engage in right farming practices such as pruning, pollination, weeding and planting of economic shade trees on their farms to maximize yield as part of the Cocoa Rehabilitation and Enhancement Programmes by COCOBOD.

He stated that COCOBOD had set up an office under the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to deal with invasion of cocoa farms by galamsey activities. Mr Asare Ankamah revealed that COCOBOD had equally outsourced two companies – Kumad Global and Afarinck Limted to engage labour to maintain cocoa farms of ageing farmers.

It will be recalled that in October last year, the Coalition for Cocoa Sector Reforms (CCSR) called on the government to impress upon the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to reconsider the 2022/23 producer price announced, else, the impact of the GHC800 per bag of cocoa beans announced will be very detrimental to the sector.

The government through the Ministry of Agriculture increased the producer price of cocoa by 21%, translating to GHC800 per bag, from the previous GHC600. However, the CCSR indicated that farmers over the last two decades, they were always assured of over $100.00 out of the world market price for each bag of cocoa sold through the free on board (FOB) pricing mechanism used in setting the price for the commodity.

The group noted that the decision to reduce cocoa price makes it the poorest decision because the consequence are too obvious. It elaborated that the decision of reducing cocoa price in dollar terms came in the midst of reports of cocoa farmers selling their arable land to illegal mining operatives (Galamsey), neighboring country Ivory Coast raising its farm gate price to CFA900 equivalent to GHC852.00, increasing prices of inputs, increased unemployment, and ageing farmer population.

In relation to the selling of cocoa farms to illegal miners, the Coalition reported that, about 19,000 acres of cocoa lands were lost to galamsey activities the previous year.