The President of the Mankrong Cocoa Cooperative Farmers’ Association,Francis Teinor has urged cocoa farmers to accept the newly announced producer price of GH¢41,392 per tonne, describing the current period as “bad times” for the sector.
Speaking to Eyewitness News on Thursday, February 12, he acknowledged the challenges posed by delayed payments but expressed cautious optimism about the government’s proposed financial policies.
“Looking at the policies that the Finance Minister has brought, one of them is that we wanted to go for bonds and not syndicated loans. When you take bonds, it takes 10 to 20 years, so it means the money will always be in the account for us whenever cocoa is ready,” he said.
He emphasised that farmers are willing to accept the current price but warned that continued delays in future payments could erode trust in the system.
“Farmers are accepting that, but what we do not want to hear next year is that we go and sell cocoa and face the same delays. If that happens again, we are going to lose trust,” he noted.
He also highlighted the importance of government compliance with the Finance Minister’s directives, including adding value to at least 50% of locally produced cocoa before export.
“Currently, we have nothing to complain about because of prevailing world market prices, so we are telling all our farmers that we are in bad times and need to accept the current price and pray that the government will follow the guidelines,” he said.
The government announced the new producer price for cocoa for the remainder of the 2025–2026 crop season in a move aimed at stabilising the sector and supporting farmers. The Producer Price Review Committee (PPRC) approved the new rate, which takes effect from Thursday, February 12, translating to GH¢2,587 per bag.
