Volta, Oti cocoa farmers cry over unpaid beans

COCOA farmers in the Volta and Oti Regions have called on the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to pay them monies owed for cocoa beans supplied to licensed buyers since November 2025.

The affected farmers, numbering about 400, said they were yet to receive payment for their produce, despite claims that all cocoa farmers across the country had been fully paid.

They said the delay had plunged them into severe financial difficulties, with many struggling to pay school fees and meet basic household needs.

Speaking to The Ghanaian Times at Akpafu-Odomi in the Guan District of the Oti Region, the community’s Best Cocoa Farmer, Mr Emmanuel Acquah, said the farmers supplied their beans to the Produce Buying Company (PBC) but were not paid.

He revealed that PBC subsequently stopped buying the beans, compelling a private company, Atlas, to take over the purchases.

According to Mr Acquah, Atlas used government warehouses and weighing scales to purchase the cocoa, but PBC later took over the beans, further complicating the payment process.

His comments followed claims by the Concerned Cocoa Farmers Association of Ghana that all cocoa farmers across the country had been paid.

Mr Acquah said the affected farmers were disappointed by the claim, insisting that “we are still waiting for our money.”

He said the farmers could not understand how the government could announce that all cocoa farmers had been paid when they had not received their money.

“We cannot tolerate any misinformation about our situation. Cocoa farming is our main source of livelihood, and the delay in payment has brought untold hardship to us,” he lamented.

Mr Acquah further underlined that management of COCOBOD, PBC and Atlas had held discussions on a payment arrangement, raising hopes among the farmers that the matter would soon be resolved.

He said they were, therefore, surprised when the government subsequently announced that all cocoa farmers had been paid.

The situation, he emphasised, had become so frustrating that two chief cocoa farmers had reportedly died after hearing the announcement, having endured prolonged financial difficulties.

Mr Acquah disclosed that the farmers had reported the matter to the police and requested an investigation into where their money was being held, but had yet to receive any feedback.

He added that the farmers would first embark on a peaceful demonstration to demand payment and, if their concerns remained unresolved, march to Parliament.

Another lead cocoa farmer, Mr Nicholas Fato, said the development could force farmers to abandon established purchasing arrangements and sell their produce to middlemen who were prepared to pay promptly.

He then appealed to the authorities to intervene urgently to pay the affected farmers and restore confidence in the cocoa purchasing system.

FROM SAMUEL AGBEWODE, AKPAFU-ODOMI