Cocoa farmers have alleged that certain officials within COCOBOD are involved in private cocoa purchasing activities, a situation they say is weakening trust, disrupting fair competition and deepening financial difficulties in the cocoa industry.
The claims were made by the Ghana National Cocoa Farmers Association (GNACOFA) during the signing of a strategic collaboration agreement with the Produce Buying Company (PBC), an initiative intended to support the recovery of the struggling cocoa purchasing company while improving the welfare of farmers.
Addressing the gathering on behalf of the association, GNACOFA President Stephenson Anane Boateng cautioned that longstanding problems such as cocoa smuggling, illegal mining on cocoa farms and delays in payments to farmers continue to pose serious threats to Ghana’s cocoa sector.
“There are concerns involving public officials, especially within COCOBOD, participating in private cocoa buying activities that erode confidence in the industry,” he said.
According to GNACOFA, such actions are undermining transparency and creating an uneven playing field for legitimate cocoa buyers and farmers.
The association stressed that these practices continue to negatively affect Ghana’s cocoa trade, disadvantage genuine cocoa producers and open the door for possible financial misconduct.
The comments come at a challenging period for the cocoa industry, as declining production levels, smuggling and liquidity constraints continue to place pressure on Licensed Buying Companies as well as farmers’ earnings.
In response to these difficulties, GNACOFA explained that its partnership with PBC is aimed at rebuilding trust throughout the cocoa value chain while helping reposition PBC as a stronger and more dependable cocoa buyer.
The association described the agreement as an important step toward protecting the long-term sustainability of Ghana’s cocoa industry and supporting the restoration of PBC as a key institution within the sector.
GNACOFA also called for increased accountability and transparency across the cocoa industry, arguing that restoring confidence among farmers will depend on honesty and integrity from both regulators and cocoa purchasing companies.