Former Head of Public Affairs at the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Fiifi Boafo, has cautioned against moves to impose harsher penalties on cocoa smugglers without first addressing the longstanding payment and financing challenges confronting cocoa farmers across the country.
His comments come amid growing debate over a proposal by COCOBOD to introduce tougher anti-smuggling measures, including a 10-year prison sentence, fines of up to 200,000 penalty units, and the establishment of a special cocoa tribunal to prosecute cocoa-related offences.
The proposal forms part of efforts by COCOBOD and government to stem rising cocoa smuggling, which officials say has contributed significantly to declining official cocoa purchases and revenue losses in recent years.
However, Mr. Boafo argues that while cocoa smuggling remains a serious threat to Ghana’s economy, punitive measures alone will not solve the problem if the structural difficulties facing cocoa farmers remain unresolved.
In a statement issued on June 1, he acknowledged COCOBOD’s investments in research, extension services, disease control, farm inputs, pesticides, and fungicides, but insisted that the institution must first restore confidence in the cocoa purchasing system before pursuing severe sanctions.
“The cocoa farmer depends on prompt payment not merely for comfort, but survival,” he said.
According to him, the 2025/2026 cocoa season has been one of the most difficult periods for cocoa farmers in recent memory, with many farmers unable to receive timely payment for cocoa sold through official channels.
He noted that several Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) reportedly struggled to access funds to purchase cocoa, resulting in situations where farmers were either turned away or forced to wait weeks and, in some cases, months before receiving payment for produce already delivered.
The concerns add to ongoing debates about the sustainability of Ghana’s cocoa sector, which has faced significant challenges in recent years, including declining production, illegal mining activities in cocoa-growing areas, climate-related pressures, disease outbreaks, and rising operational costs.
The issue of cocoa smuggling has become increasingly contentious following reports of large price disparities between Ghana and neighbouring cocoa-producing countries. Industry analysts have long argued that differences in producer prices create incentives for some farmers and middlemen to engage in cross-border trading despite existing prohibitions.
Government officials have consistently maintained that cocoa smuggling undermines Ghana’s foreign exchange earnings and weakens the country’s ability to honour international cocoa contracts.
However, Mr. Boafo questioned the fairness of imposing severe criminal penalties on farmers when the official purchasing system has itself struggled to meet its obligations.
“It is difficult to understand why, at a time when COCOBOD and some LBCs have struggled to fulfil their core obligation of promptly purchasing and paying for cocoa, the priority appears to be harsher punishment for farmers and others who may resort to cross-border sales in search of immediate payment,” he stated.
The former COCOBOD spokesperson further argued that the state must be held to the same standards it seeks to enforce on farmers.
Citing the COCOBOD Law, 1984 (PNDC Law 81), he said the institution has a legal responsibility to ensure the purchase and marketing of cocoa produced in Ghana.
“If the state seeks to punish acts deemed contrary to the cocoa laws, then the state itself must equally comply with its obligations,” he said.
His intervention comes at a time when discussions around cocoa sector reforms have intensified, following concerns over COCOBOD’s debt burden, delayed payments to suppliers and contractors, and calls for greater transparency in the management of the industry.
Farmer groups and agricultural policy observers have repeatedly called for improvements in producer pricing, timely payments, and stronger support systems for cocoa-growing communities.
Mr. Boafo maintained that addressing cocoa smuggling requires restoring trust in the cocoa marketing system rather than relying solely on criminal sanctions.
He proposed a package of reforms including guaranteed prompt payment to farmers, reliable financing for Licensed Buying Companies, fair producer prices, improved transparency in cocoa purchases, and greater accountability within COCOBOD.
“A farmer who has waited months without payment cannot reasonably be treated as a criminal for seeking alternative means to meet urgent family and economic needs,” he argued.
He warned that any policy focused primarily on punishment without addressing the economic hardships facing cocoa farmers risks deepening frustration within cocoa-growing communities and further weakening confidence in the sector.
“Protecting Ghana’s cocoa industry must go hand in hand with protecting the dignity and livelihood of the cocoa farmer,” he stated.
Mr. Boafo therefore urged policymakers and Parliament to ensure that efforts to curb cocoa smuggling are matched by reforms that address the welfare and legitimate concerns of cocoa farmers, insisting that “the cocoa farmer deserves justice too.”
