Cocoa Price Increase Will Support Farmers, Not Promote Galamsey — Comrade Martey Clears the Air”
Emmanuel Martey, a member of the NDC’s Regional Communications Team, has dismissed recent remarks by Addo Yaw Harry, the NPP’s Communications Director for Western North, suggesting that the latest cocoa price adjustment could encourage illegal mining. Martey described the claims — reported by Kessben Online — as misleading and unsupported by facts.
According to him, the argument falls apart when placed against the track record of the NPP. “For their first two years in office, cocoa prices remained unchanged, yet galamsey did not see a dramatic rise. How, then, can a well-structured increase — with strong support measures for farmers — suddenly be accused of triggering it?” he questioned.
Providing context, Martey explained that in the 2024/2025 cocoa season under the NPP, the international Free On Board (FOB) price was pegged at $4,850 per ton, yet farmers were paid only GHC 3,100 per ton — about 63.9% of that value. This figure was calculated at an exchange rate of GHC 16 to the US dollar, translating to GHC 3,100 per bag. Farmers, he noted, still had to shoulder the cost of fertilizers, agrochemicals, and spraying equipment themselves.
In the second quarter of the NDC’s current term, despite global cocoa prices falling and exchange rates fluctuating, the government maintained the GHC 3,100 price to shield farmers from losses. The recent adjustment now pushes the price to $5,040 per ton — a jump of $1,940 — while introducing unprecedented incentives.
The support package, Martey outlined, includes free fertilizers (both liquid and granular), free insecticides, complimentary spraying machines, fungicides, flower inducers, and Cocobod tertiary scholarships for farmers’ children. These interventions, he argued, will dramatically reduce production costs and uplift farming communities.
“This is not just a price change; it’s a deliberate policy to revitalise cocoa production and improve farmer welfare,” Martey emphasised. “To claim it will lead to galamsey is not only wrong but also dismissive of the real needs of our farmers.”
In closing, Martey challenged Addo Yaw Harry and the NPP to state what tangible benefits they delivered to cocoa farmers in their first two years in power. The NDC government, he assured, remains firm in its commitment to prioritising the growth and dignity of Ghana’s cocoa sector.
