Offinso South MP Queries Finance Minister Over Unpaid Cocoa Board Agrochemical Suppliers

Hon. Isaac Yaw Opoku

Member of Parliament for Offinso South, has pressed the Minister for Finance to clarify government’s plans to settle debts owed to input suppliers who provided agrochemicals and fertilizers to the Ghana Cocoa Board.

The question was posed on the floor of the House, seeking an update on payments to suppliers who supported COCOBOD’s Cocoa Mass Spraying and Hi-Tech programs between 2021 and 2024.

“Speaker, I rise to ask the Minister for Finance what steps the Ministry is taking to pay input suppliers who supplied agrochemicals and fertilizers to Cocoa Board for the Cocoa Mass Spraying and Hi-Tech programs between twenty twenty-one and twenty twenty-four,” the Ranking Member of Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee stated.

The Cocoa Mass Spraying and Hi-Tech initiatives are key COCOBOD interventions aimed at boosting cocoa yields and controlling pests and diseases. The programs rely heavily on private suppliers for fertilizers and agrochemicals distributed to farmers nationwide.

Delays in payments to suppliers have been a recurring concern in the cocoa sector, with some industry players warning that outstanding arrears could disrupt input supply chains ahead of the next crop season.