The Member of Parliament for Afigya Kwabre South, Damata Ama Appianimaa Salam, has raised alarm over the worsening conditions of cocoa farmers, particularly women, describing their situation as a matter of life that demands urgent national attention.
Her concerns follow a visit to cocoa farming communities in the Ashanti Region as part of the Minority’s Caucus ongoing tour.
According to the lawmaker, the stories shared by female farmers were deeply troubling and revealed a level of hardship that can no longer be ignored.
She lamented that life has become unbearable for many farmers, urging the President and female Members of Parliament to treat the issue of the cocoa price “haircut” with the urgency it deserves.
“We beg the President to understand that the reality on the ground is not what was promised,” she stated. “Some farmers cannot feed their children, pay their medical bills, or even afford their children’s school fees.”
After engaging with the farmers, the MP noted that many are calling for a restoration of cocoa prices to the level inherited from the previous NPP administration, especially if the government is unable to fulfill its campaign promises.
She stressed that the plight of cocoa farmers should not be reduced to political debates, warning against the politicization of what she described as a humanitarian crisis.
“This is not about NPP or NDC,” she emphasized. “What I witnessed should not be our usual political conversation. The reality on the ground is very sad, and it is escalating beyond the cocoa sector.”
Her remarks add to growing pressure on government to take swift action to address the concerns of cocoa farmers and stabilize livelihoods within one of Ghana’s most critical sectors.