The Majority in Parliament has rejected calls by the Minority Caucus of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the dismissal of the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr Randy Abbey, following the recent reduction in cocoa producer prices.
The Minority had, on Thursday, February 12, urged President John Dramani Mahama to relieve Dr Abbey of his post, alleging mismanagement of the cocoa sector and describing the price reduction as evidence of leadership failure.
However, the Chairman of Parliament’s Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee, Dr Godfred Seidu Jasaw, described the demand as unjustified and premature.
He said the challenges confronting the cocoa sector predated the tenure of Mr Abbey and were largely structural.
“It’s not a plausible pathway,” Dr Jasaw stated, adding that the current CEO was working to stabilise the sector.
“If you look at what has happened and the reasons for where we are, I think Randy Abbey is rather doing a lot well and a lot better to keep the ship sailing. So please, let’s not personalise it,” he said.
Dr Jasaw noted that COCOBOD’s current difficulties stemmed from long-standing systemic weaknesses rather than individual mismanagement.
He said the present management had focused on addressing structural deficiencies to ensure sustainability and growth in the sector.
“Randy has been able to hold on this far. He’s been able to manage in a way that can guarantee us some sustainability going forward, some growth going forward,” he added.
Dr Jassaw urged critics to allow the management team the opportunity to implement ongoing reforms before drawing conclusions on their performance.
“If it’s a function of management, then I think we should allow the current management to implement these reforms. Let’s observe,” he said.
He assured that Parliament would continue to exercise its oversight responsibility over COCOBOD’s operations and would take appropriate action where necessary.
“As Parliament, we’ll continue to play our oversight role. We’ll be monitoring every inch of this. And if there’s a need for us to agree with our colleagues in the Minority, we will. But today, I disagree completely with them,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, announced a revised cocoa producer price aimed at cushioning farmers against declining global cocoa prices.
He said the Producer Price Review Committee (PPRC), which he chairs, met on Thursday to assess challenges facing the sector and review the producer price for the remainder of the 2025–2026 crop season.
The Committee recommended that farmers be paid 90 per cent of the achieved gross Free on Board (FOB) price of 4,200 United States dollars per tonne.
“The PPRC has recommended that the farmer be paid 90 per cent of the achieved gross FOB of USD 4,200 per tonne,” he said.
Consequently, the new producer price has been set at GH₵41,392 per tonne, equivalent to GH₵2,587 per bag, with immediate effect.
