The Centre for Democratic Movement (CDM) has condemned the government’s decision to reduce the cocoa producer price to GH¢2,587 per 64kg bag.
It describes it as “a heartless assault on the dignity, livelihood, and survival of Ghana’s cocoa farmers.”
In a statement issued on Thursday, February 12, 2026, the group said it was “deeply outraged, disappointed, and totally condemned” by the price cut, which takes effect immediately.
CDM said the decision represents “a monumental betrayal of public trust,” arguing that it directly contradicts campaign assurances made by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) during the 2024 election period.
The group recalled that President John Dramani Mahama, while campaigning, promised cocoa farmers: “When we win power, we will restore dignity to the cocoa farmer by ensuring that the price of cocoa is increased substantially. Cocoa farmers deserve far better than what they are currently receiving.”
CDM said Mr Mahama further pledged at multiple rallies that: “Under an NDC government, cocoa farmers will earn not less than GH¢6,000 per bag, because they are the backbone of our rural economy.”
The group also cited the current Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, saying that while in opposition, he had stated: “The price of cocoa is unacceptable. An NDC government will immediately review it upward to reflect the true value of the farmer’s labour and sacrifice.”
CDM said it is therefore shocked that “barely a year into governance,” the government has not raised cocoa prices but has “slashed them drastically” to GH¢2,587 per bag, calling it “one of the most shocking policy reversals in Ghana’s recent political history.”
The movement described the cut as “a direct insult to the intelligence, resilience, and sacrifices of cocoa farmers,” and “a cruel deception of the Ghanaian electorate,” particularly at a time when “cost of living is soaring,” farm inputs are expensive, labour costs have escalated, and climate change is worsening yields.
It said the decision “exposes a disturbing lack of empathy, compassion, and commitment to human welfare,” and accused the government of being “dangerously disconnected from the lived realities of rural Ghana.”
CDM further warned of environmental consequences, arguing that the price cut could push farmers into illegal mining. “When cocoa farming becomes unprofitable, farmers abandon farms and use their farmlands for galamsey,” it said.
According to the group, the reduction will “accelerate the destruction of cocoa farmlands,” “intensify water pollution and land degradation,” “undermine national anti-galamsey efforts,” and deepen “environmental insecurity and food vulnerability.”
CDM demanded an “immediate reversal” of the GH¢2,587 cocoa price, the implementation of the “not less than GH¢6,000 per 64kg bag” campaign promise, urgent stakeholder engagement, and “a transparent pricing framework that prioritises farmer welfare, not political convenience.”
“This cocoa price reduction is not merely an economic error; it is a moral failure and a political betrayal,” the group said.
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