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New cocoa price could lead farmers into smuggling across borders – Minority warns government
The Minority in Parliament has warned that the new cocoa producer price announced by government could push farmers to smuggle their cocoa across Ghana’s borders in search of better prices.
The Minority indicated that the GH¢3,228.75 per 64kg bag offered for the 2025/2026 cocoa season was too low and did not match the current market conditions.
They explained that the new price was only a 4.2% increase from the previous season’s GH¢3,100, describing it as unfair and a betrayal of the hard work of cocoa farmers.
In a statement signed by the Ranking Member on the Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee, Dr. Isaac Yaw Opoku, affirmed that cocoa farmers deserved better.
He noted that the low price could tempt many to smuggle cocoa into Côte d’Ivoire, where farmers were reportedly receiving the equivalent of GH¢3,635 per bag, GH¢407 more than in Ghana.
“This gap in price presents a strong reason for smuggling, especially in border areas like Western North, Western South, Brong Ahafo and Volta,” the minority stated.
They questioned why campaign promises made by leading government officials, including Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson and Agriculture Minister Dr. Eric Opoku, had not been fulfilled.
They recalled that both ministers promised cocoa farmers between GH¢6,000 and GH¢7,000 per bag if the NDC came to power.
They also pointed to the President’s earlier pledge to pay 70% of the world market price to farmers.
According to them, the current global price of $8,211.23 per tonne should translate to GH¢3,718 per bag, not GH¢3,228.75.
The group expressed worry about the announced price saying that it was “unacceptable”, describing it as “ridiculous, shameful and a stab in the back of farmers.”
They urged the government to immediately review the price and show more commitment to improving the welfare of cocoa farmers, warning that the industry could suffer if farmers turn away from cocoa or lease their farms to illegal miners.
“The government must come again. Cocoa farmers matter and they deserve better,” the minority reminded.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Danish Children Fund (DCF), a Denmark-based NGO supporting children’s education, has encouraged students to prioritise their education and desist from misuse and abuse of drugs to enhance their holistic growth and development.
The call was made during a day’s sensitisation seminar on drug abused for students in Tamale to help them make informed life choices and stay away from abusing drug substances.
The event, held under an initiative dubbed: ‘Youths in Focus,’ brought together students, teachers and officials from the Ghana Police Service, Narcotics Control Commission and Ghana Education Service to educate young people on the dangers associated with drugs abused and their addiction trends.
Mr Benjamin Yin, Project Manager of DCF and Headmaster of Kalpohin SDA Basic School, speaking during the event, said the intervention was necessitated by increasing concerns over drugs abused among the youth in Tamale.
He said the organisation, which primarily focused on supporting needy children to remain in school, recognised the need to complement educational support with interventions that empowered young people to make responsible decisions.
Mr Yin highlighted some achievements of the DCF in the education sector in Tamale and said the organisation currently sponsored 55 vulnerable children to remain in school, most of whom were orphans.
He explained that out of the number, 23 beneficiaries were at Kalpohin SDA School, 18 at Tamale SDA School and 15 at Jakarayili School.
He said the support package included learning materials, food and other essential items to prevent school dropouts.
Beyond educational sponsorship, he said the organisation had invested in educational infrastructure to improve learning environments in beneficiary schools.
The Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr Richard Akumi, Deputy Northern Regional Crime Officer, who addressed the students during the event, described the abuse of drugs among young people as a major challenge requiring collective action.
He said the Ghana Police Service had intensified efforts to tackle the abuse of drug in the region through law enforcement operations and community sensitisation programmes.
ASP Mr Akumi noted that the Northern Regional Police Command’s Special Operations Team had been carrying out operations across Tamale to dismantle drug hotspots and arrest suspects involved in drug-related activities. –GNA
Mr Samuel Akrasi, Principal of the Otaakrom Technical Institute in the Atwima Mponua District, has urged the media and research institutions to pay greater attention to youth unemployment after second-cycle education in the country.
He said increased reportage and research on unemployment among graduates of senior high schools and other second-cycle institutions would help create awareness at both grassroots and national levels and compel authorities and stakeholders to take the necessary steps to address the challenge.
Mr Akrasi made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after a sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of four workshops for the Institute.
He stressed the need for the media and researchers to investigate and publish data on unemployed graduates from senior high schools and other second-cycle institutions, noting that, in his view, the number of unemployed youth from such institutions exceeded those from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions.
According to him, TVET institutions produced more employable and self-employed youth than other second-cycle institutions in the country.
Mr Akrasi appealed for increased investment in TVET institutions through improved infrastructure, logistics, and training support to make technical education more attractive and accessible to the youth.
The principal noted that TVET education was becoming increasingly modernised and described the proposed workshops, expected to be completed within 18 months, as timely and beneficial to trainees.
The $7.5 million project, funded by the Social Investment Fund (SIF), includes an administration block and modern workshops for the Fashion Designing, Catering, Electricals, and Agro-Processing Departments of the Institute.
Mr Abass Nurudeen, Chief Executive Officer of SIF, said the project formed part of the 28 million-dollar Post-COVID-19 Skills Development and Productivity Enhancement Project (PSDPEP), which seeks to improve the local economy by empowering the youth with employable skills under the TVET programme.
Mr Issahak Ibrahim, District Chief Executive for Atwima Mponua, described the project as a symbol of hope, opportunity and innovation that would help nurture a skilled generation for the district and beyond. –GNA
