The Minority in Parliament is criticising the management of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) for increasing administrative costs while cocoa production is declining.
The caucus raised alarms about COCOBOD’s finances, indicating that over the past four years, cocoa production fell to 655,000 tonnes, while COCOBOD’s head office spending skyrocketed to around GH¢3.4 billion in 2023.
In a press conference on August 7 in Accra, the Ranking Member on Food, Agriculture, and Cocoa Affairs Committee of Parliament, Eric Opoku criticised COCOBOD for allegedly misusing funds intended for farmers.
He questioned whether cocoa was being grown at the office and urged COCOBOD to spend more wisely and prioritise the welfare of cocoa farmers.
“In 2023, cocoa production declined further to 655,000 but office expenditure did not decline. It increased to GH¢3.4 billion. And the Auditor General reports to Parliament that this is largely due to headquarters expenditure. So COCOBOD head office alone is expending GH¢3.4 billion, while the entire Ministry of Agriculture is expending something around GH¢2.7 billion. Isn’t that strange?”
“The producers are sweating every day to get the cocoa for us. They complain of water, they complain of bad roads, they complain of so many things, they are not getting them.
“Even look at the producer price that we give them and you spend your money this way in the office. So are you growing the cocoa in the office or in the bush?”