The Member of Parliament (MP) for Akim Swedru, Kennedy Osei Nyarko, has called on the government to urgently restore the 2025/26 guaranteed cocoa farm-gate price, insisting that farmers are not concerned about salary cuts at the Ghana Cocoa Board.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday February 17, 2026, the MP stated that cocoa farmers are focused solely on the reduction in the guaranteed farm-gate price and want it reversed without delay.
“Farmers are not interested in the pay cut of the top management of COCOBOD. All they care about is the restoration of their 2025/26 guaranteed Farm-Gate price. Government can undertake all the reforms that do not immediately address the reduction in cocoa price,” he wrote.
He added that while broader reforms in the cocoa sector may be necessary, the immediate priority should be restoring the price paid to farmers.
“We will come back later to talk about key reforms that will address the emerging issues in the sector but for now Government should restore the guaranteed price to the farmer,” he emphasized.
His comments follow an announcement by the Executive Management and Senior Staff of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) regarding salary reductions.
According to the Board, the decision to cut salaries forms part of measures to address ongoing liquidity challenges affecting Ghana’s cocoa sector.
The salary reductions are aimed at stabilizing operations within COCOBOD as the industry faces financial pressures. However, the Akim Swedru MP argues that such internal cost-cutting measures do not address the immediate concerns of cocoa farmers.
