The Member of Parliament for Assin South, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has criticised the government over what he describes as a failure to honour campaign promises to cocoa farmers.

The Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee argues that the sector’s key stakeholders have been left worse off under the current administration.

Contributing to the debate on the 2026 State of the Nation Address delivered by John Dramani Mahama in Parliament on February 27, the Assin South lawmaker said he was speaking not only in his capacity as a legislator but also as someone with deep personal ties to cocoa farming.

“I speak not just as a Member of Parliament or Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee, but as a son of a cocoa farmer,” he told the House.

He noted that he was born into a cocoa farming family in Assin Kruwa and represents a constituency where cocoa farming forms the backbone of livelihoods for many households.

According to him, the government had promised cocoa farmers a producer price of not less than GH¢6,000 and in some cases GH¢6,500 during the election campaign, but later reduced the amount by GH¢1,000 after assuming office.

The former Deputy Education Minister described the development as a betrayal of the trust reposed in the administration by farmers across the country.

Rev. Ntim Fordjour further argued that the reduction in the expected price has worsened the economic situation of many farmers who depend on cocoa production for their livelihoods.

He said the decision had left millions of cocoa farmers disappointed and struggling at a time when the sector remains central to Ghana’s economy and rural development.