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Despite a global surge in chocolate prices, cocoa farmers in Ghana and Ivory Coast are struggling due to delayed payments and falling cocoa prices. Ghanaian farmer Akosua Frimpong shared her grief after her husband passed away due to lack of funds for medical care, blaming the Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod) for not paying farmers. Prices of cocoa have dropped since 2024, after a price surge, and Cocobod’s guarantee price remains above the current market value, deepening its debt.
Cocobod has reduced the guaranteed price for farmers to $3,500 per tonne, but farmers like Robert Addae argue that rising costs of labor and farm inputs make it insufficient. The situation is similarly dire in Ivory Coast, where cocoa is piling up in warehouses as cooperatives struggle to sell. The country’s Coffee and Cocoa Council has announced price cuts to boost sales, but many farmers, like Sella Aga Josiane, face severe hardship, unable to support their families or pay school fees. Both countries are grappling with a crisis that threatens their livelihoods.
Story :EfuaNessa
Source : Locotvgh