Cocoa farmers in the Western North Region took to the streets on Thursday, February 19, 2026, to protest the government’s recent reduction of the cocoa producer price from GH¢3,625 to GH¢2,587 per 64‑kilogram bag, calling the move unfair and damaging to their livelihoods.

Farmers from districts such as Sefwi Wiawso, Juaboso and Bia West marched through principal streets, waving placards reading “Restore Our Price Now” and “Cocoa Sustains Ghana, Don’t Neglect Farmers.” Many argued that rising costs for labour, fertiliser and transport mean the new price barely covers production expenses.

The price cut, announced by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson on February 12, 2026, followed a decision by the government and the Producer Price Review Committee (PPRC) to align farmgate prices with international market realities amid a sharp fall in global cocoa prices.

The adjustment sets the producer price at GH¢41,392 per tonne — equivalent to GH¢2,587 per bag — for the remainder of the 2025/2026 crop season, a 28 % reduction from the earlier rate.

Officials say the move was intended to restore liquidity in the cocoa sector and enable timely payments to farmers, many of whom had faced payment delays due to unsold stocks and financial pressures at the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).

The protest underscores deepening tensions in Ghana’s cocoa sector, where pricing policy, global market volatility and ongoing reforms at COCOBOD are shaping the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of farmers nationwide.

But farmers and political actors have reacted strongly.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority in Parliament condemned the mid‑season cut as a betrayal and called for its reversal, while civic groups like the People’s Forum have launched billboard campaigns across multiple regions to highlight farmers’ struggles.