Elderly Blind Cocoa Farmer's Bold Stance on Ghana's Price Increase

Visually Impaired Farmer Challenges Ghana's Cocoa Price Policy

In a remarkable display of protest, Francis Asiedu Boafo, a 75-year-old visually impaired cocoa farmer from Kokodei in the Ashanti region, has taken an unprecedented stance against what he considers an insufficient cocoa price increase, offering to donate the increment back to the government.

Understanding the Price Adjustment

As part of Ghana's ongoing economic reforms, the government announced a significant adjustment in cocoa prices, raising them from US$3,100 to US$5,040 per tonne for the 2025/2026 season. This 62.58% increase translates to GH¢128.75 per bag of cocoa.

Farmer's Bold Response

"I want to ask Dr Ato Forson to form a foundation... I will donate GH¢128.75 from every bag of cocoa I sell to let him know that without the GH¢128.75, we can still survive," stated Boafo in his interview with Akoma FM.

Government's Perspective

Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson explained that the new price structure aligns with Ghana's strategic cocoa sector reforms, setting the producer price at GH¢51,660 per tonne, or GH¢3,228.75 per bag, based on a US Dollar exchange rate of GH¢10.25.

Broader Economic Impact

This price adjustment comes as part of Ghana's broader economic initiatives, reflecting the government's commitment to paying farmers 70% of the Free-On-Board (FOB) value, which stands at US$7,200 per tonne for the 2025/2026 season.

Key Implementation Details:

• New price effective from August 7, 2025
• 70% FOB value commitment to farmers
• Base price of US$7,200 per tonne
• Exchange rate consideration of GH¢10.25 to USD

Alternative Markets

The story has highlighted an interesting development where some Ghanaian farmers are finding better prices in neighboring markets, with reports of farmers selling 64kg bags for GH¢8,000 in Togo compared to GH¢3,000 in Ghana.