The Minority Caucus in Parliament has raised concerns over what they describe as an impending crisis in Ghana’s cocoa industry, urging the government and the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to promptly resolve outstanding payments owed to cocoa farmers since November 2025.

In a recent statement, the Caucus highlighted that Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) have been unable to compensate farmers for beans already sold, not due to mismanagement, but because COCOBOD has not reimbursed them for previous deliveries.

According to the Minority, the LBCs, which pre-finance purchases by borrowing from banks and off-taker traders, are now severely constrained, with COCOBOD reportedly owing them over GH¢10 billion in unpaid receipts. This scenario, they cautioned, is forcing farmers into challenging situations: selling their produce on credit, offering discounts, or returning home with unsold beans.

“The situation portends dire consequences for our cocoa industry and the national economy, knowing what cocoa stands for in Ghana,” the statement read.

"We call on Government and COCOBOD to pay our cocoa farmers immediately for all cocoa beans sold and to be sold, to save the cocoa industry from slipping back to the days of despondency and loss of interest. We demand an apology from Government and COCOBOD for this gross dereliction of duty.

COCOBOD must reimburse the LBCs for all outstanding payments regarding cocoa purchased and delivered, and must also ensure the prompt repayment for subsequent deliveries and CTORs to avoid the recurrence of this despicable situation in the future.

"We demand that our cherished cocoa farmers are treated better and with dignity than we are seeing now. Cocoa farmers are not beggars. Paying farmers promptly is not a favour. It is an obligation," the statement added.