Accra, Ghana - The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Minority has demanded an apology from Mr. Joseph Boahen Aidoo, the CEO of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), to former President John Dramani Mahama. The call for an apology stems from a dispute over the farm-gate price of cocoa, with the NDC accusing Mr. Aidoo of misleading the public in his open letter to the former President.
According to Ghana News Agency, the Ranking Member of Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee of Parliament and NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for Asunafo South, the Minority claims to have irrefutable evidence contradicting the COCOBOD CEO's assertions regarding Ghana's 2023/24 cocoa forward sales. Following the announcement of the farm-gate price for the 2023/24 cocoa season, former President Mahama criticized the government for setting the price at GHS1,308.00, which he deemed inadequate given the record-high surge in the world market price of cocoa. In response, Mr. Aidoo questioned former President Mahama's understanding of cocoa price determination, asserting that most of Ghana's 2023/24 cocoa crop was sold forward between October 2022 and March 2023 at prices ranging between $2,200 and $2,400 per ton, before prices began to rise in April 2023.
The NDC Minority, however, claims that documents submitted to Parliament by COCOBOD reveal that only 36.2% of the nation's cocoa for the 2023/24 season was sold forward, contradicting Mr. Aidoo's claim of a 'greater percentage.' They argue that this volume, amounting to 307,700 tons, does not represent a majority of the projected annual production volume of 850,000 tons. The statement further alleges that the remaining 63.8% of the cocoa output, or 542,300 tons, would be sold at spot prices ranging between $3,600 and $4,000, potentially leading to a significant loss in revenue.
The Minority asserts that former President Mahama's criticism was accurate and accuses Mr. Aidoo of misleading the nation and cocoa farmers. They argue that the COCOBOD CEO's response was baseless and demand an unqualified apology to the former President, cocoa farmers, and the nation. The statement also indicates that the NDC Minority, along with the NDC Communications Bureau, plans to engage with cocoa farmers across the country to discuss this issue further, emphasizing that farmers deserve to know the truth about the alleged injustice.