Catholic bishops urge urgent rescue of cocoa sector

The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has called for urgent and decisive measures to rescue the country’s struggling cocoa sector, warning that the deepening crisis is inflicting severe hardship on farmers and rural communities.

In a press statement issued on Friday, February 20, 2026, and signed by its President, Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, the Conference expressed grave concern over delays in payments to farmers for cocoa already delivered.

According to the bishops, many farmers have endured months of unpaid arrears, leading to unpaid labour, disrupted schooling for children, mounting debt and increased vulnerability to illegal mining activities. The recent reduction in producer prices, they noted, has further eroded confidence in the sector and intensified hardship.

While acknowledging fluctuations in international market conditions, the Conference stressed that farmers must not bear the full burden of systemic and historical failures. It argued that producer prices should at the very least be sustained, particularly during difficult periods, adding that during years of windfall gains, farmers did not benefit proportionately.

The bishops also raised alarm over Ghana’s weakening position in the global cocoa economy. They observed that Ecuador is on course to overtake Ghana as the world’s second-largest cocoa producer, while the combined output of Nigeria and Cameroon is emerging as a formidable force. Climate stress and land degradation from illegal mining were cited as additional threats placing the sector at a strategic crossroads.

The Conference therefore called for the immediate payment of all arrears owed to farmers, transparent financial restructuring of the Ghana Cocoa Board, sustained producer prices, and intensified investment in productivity. It further advocated a depoliticised national dialogue centred on farmers’ welfare, with priority given to youth participation, research and local processing.

The bishops disclosed that a detailed pastoral letter on the cocoa crisis has been conveyed privately to President John Dramani Mahama and the leadership of Parliament for consideration and further action.

“The rescue of Ghana’s cocoa industry is not merely an economic task. It is a moral imperative,” the statement said, adding that justice for cocoa farmers is justice for the nation.