Dennis Miracles Aboagye has called on the government to urgently settle the outstanding GH¢6.5 billion owed to cocoa farmers, arguing that the delay is causing severe hardship for farmers across the country.
According to him, cocoa farmers were initially owed about GH¢11.5 billion, but only a portion of the debt has been paid despite government assurances.
Speaking on the issue, Miracles Aboagye accused the government of initially denying the debt’s existence before eventually acknowledging it under pressure from stakeholders and farmers.
“Cocoa farmers had gone from October to November, December, and January without being paid. They didn’t even celebrate Christmas. They were owed close to GH¢11.5 billion. When we brought it out, they denied it and said it wasn’t true.”
He claimed that it took sustained advocacy and protests by farmers before the government admitted the extent of the indebtedness.
“Until we went around the cocoa farms, then they had no choice. Until cocoa farmers came to Accra to protest, they had no choice again. Then they came to admit it.”
According to him, after public pressure mounted, the government convened what it described as an emergency Cabinet meeting to address the situation.
“When they finally admitted it, they called what they described as an emergency cabinet meeting.”
Miracles Aboagye said the government subsequently announced plans to settle the debt but has so far failed to honour that commitment fully.
“Only for them to come out and say they were going to pay GH¢11 billion. The first week after that announcement, they released about GH¢5 billion.”
He argued that the payment made was insufficient and that farmers continue to suffer due to the prolonged delay in settling the remaining balance.
“As we speak, cocoa farmers are still owed about GH¢6.5 billion. The last time any payment was released was about four months ago.”
The NPP communicator maintained that the outstanding debt is affecting the livelihoods of thousands of cocoa farmers who depend on timely payments to support their families, maintain their farms and prepare for subsequent farming seasons.
He warned that continued delays could undermine morale within the cocoa sector and negatively impact production, stressing that cocoa remains one of Ghana’s most important foreign exchange earners.
Miracles Aboagye, therefore, urged the government and the Ghana Cocoa Board to take immediate steps to settle the remaining debt and restore confidence among cocoa farmers.
According to him, the farmers have demonstrated patience for several months and deserve to receive the full value of their produce without further delay.
