In a compelling address on the floor of Parliament, Dr. Godfred Seidu Jasaw, Member of Parliament for Wa East and Chairman of the Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee, described the 2026 budget as a transformative initiative for Ghana’s cocoa industry. During the debate on the budget, themed “Reshaping for Growth, Jobs, and Economic Transformation,” Dr. Jasaw underscored the government’s intentional strategies to tackle persistent issues in the sector.
Dr. Jasaw pointed to a substantial decrease in cocoa sector debt, which had escalated to 32.5 billion Ghana cedis in prior years, encompassing a 21 billion cedis liability from cocoa roads. “Mr. Speaker, I’m happy to report that that debt has been reduced drastically,” he stated. He added, “Mr. Speaker, at the same time, we complained about cocoa roads alone, having a debt of 21 billion Ghana cedis.” He credited this advancement to enhanced production levels, noting, “Now, production has increased from below 500,000 metric tons that we witnessed last year to at least 603,000 metric tons.” This increase has allowed Ghana to settle 243,000 metric tons of a 333,000 metric ton obligation to international financial institutions, leaving just 90,000 metric tons outstanding. “Mr. Speaker, this is so significant because it’s been able to allow us to pay that debt by contributing 243,000 metric tons of cocoa. We just have about 90,000 metric tons to go,” Dr. Jasaw elaborated.
Among the budget’s principal measures are the provision of free cocoa spraying, budgeted at 2.4 billion Ghana cedis, and the reinstatement of free fertilizers. “At the same time, free fertilizer is back for the cocoa sub-sector,” he observed, explaining that “when you have this, it means that the cost of production of the cocoa per unit area for the farmer is going to be less. Once it is less, more growth will come into the economy and the farmer is likely to reap more gains.” Furthermore, the budget includes funding for an additional 200,000 hectares of cocoa cultivation. “Mr. Speaker, if you look at paragraph 296, the budget actually tells us that we are going to have an additional 200,000 hectares of cocoa under cultivation. Mr. Speaker, this is a highly decisive step. This is a highly decisive strategic policy, and I think that we must support this,” Dr. Jasaw emphasized, highlighting its role in establishing a reliable foundation for projections and diminishing dependence on small-scale farmers.
“And so, Mr. Speaker, this is something we must support,” he concluded regarding the cocoa initiatives, calling on Parliament to approve the budget to foster value-added employment opportunities for Ghanaians.
Dr. Jasaw’s support aligns with the broader objective of meeting constitutional requirements under the 1992 Constitution and the Public Financial Management Act 2016 (Act 921), while the budget seeks to address deficiencies in previous economic frameworks.
By: Adil Fuseini
