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The Minority in Parliament has expressed serious concerns over the management of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), highlighting a sharp rise in administrative costs amid a decline in cocoa production.
The caucus revealed that cocoa production fell to 655,000 tonnes over the past four years, while COCOBOD’s head office expenditure soared to approximately GH¢3.4 billion in 2023. This is in stark contrast to the expenditure of the entire Ministry of Agriculture, which stands around GH¢2.7 billion.
Eric Opoku, Ranking Member on the Food, Agriculture, and Cocoa Affairs Committee, voiced these concerns during a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday. He criticized the disparity, stating, “In 2023, cocoa production declined further to 655,000 but office expenditure did not decline. It increased to GH¢3.4 billion. And the Auditor General reports to Parliament that this is largely due to headquarters expenditure. So COCOBOD head office alone is expending GH¢3.4 billion, while the entire Ministry of Agriculture is expending something around GH¢2.7 billion. Isn’t that strange?”
Opoku also pointed out the difficulties faced by cocoa producers, questioning the rationale behind the high administrative costs. “The producers are sweating every day to get the cocoa for us. They complain of water, they complain of bad roads, they complain of so many things, they are not getting them. Even look at the producer price that we give them and you spend your money this way in the office. So are you growing the cocoa in the office or in the bush?”
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