{"id":115223,"date":"2026-02-13T16:36:58","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T16:36:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=115223"},"modified":"2026-02-13T16:36:58","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T16:36:58","slug":"majority-rejects-npps-call-to-sack-cocobod-ceo-randy-abbey-over-cocoa-price-cut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=115223","title":{"rendered":"Majority rejects NPP\u2019s call to sack COCOBOD CEO Randy Abbey over cocoa price cut"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='booster-block booster-read-block'>\n                <div class=\"twp-read-time\">\n                \t<i class=\"booster-icon twp-clock\"><\/i> <span>Read Time:<\/span>2 Minute, 48 Second                <\/div>\n\n            <\/div><div>\n<p>The Majority in Parliament has pushed back against calls by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority for President John Mahama to dismiss the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Randy Abbey, following the government\u2019s decision to reduce cocoa producer prices.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, February 12, the NPP Minority accused Mr Abbey of mismanaging the cocoa sector and demanded his immediate removal, arguing that the price reduction was evidence of leadership failure at COCOBOD.<\/p>\n<p>However, the Chairman of Parliament\u2019s Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee, Dr. Godfred Seidu Jassaw, dismissed the demand as unfounded and premature.<\/p>\n<p>Describing the Minority\u2019s position as \u201ccompletely unjustified,\u201d Dr. Jassaw said the challenges confronting the cocoa sector predate Mr Abbey\u2019s tenure and are rooted in deeper structural issues.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/JASAW-RANDY.mp3.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not a plausible pathway,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you look at what has happened and the reasons for where we are, I think Randy Abbey is rather doing a lot well and a lot better to keep the ship sailing. So please, let\u2019s not personalise it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to him, COCOBOD\u2019s current difficulties stem from long-standing systemic weaknesses rather than individual mismanagement. <\/p>\n<p>He maintained that since his appointment, Mr Abbey has focused on addressing those structural deficiencies and steering the sector toward stability.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRandy has been able to hold on this far. He\u2019s been able to manage in a way that can guarantee us some sustainability going forward, some growth going forward,\u201d Dr. Jassaw noted.<\/p>\n<p>He urged critics to allow the current management team the space to implement ongoing reforms before drawing conclusions about their effectiveness.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf it\u2019s a function of management, then I think we should allow the current management to implement these reforms. Let\u2019s observe,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Read also: Gov\u2019t sets new farmgate cocoa price at GH\u20b541,392 per tonne for 2025\u20132026 season<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Dr. Jassaw assured that Parliament would continue to exercise its oversight responsibility over COCOBOD\u2019s operations and performance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs Parliament, we\u2019ll continue to play our oversight role. We\u2019ll be monitoring every inch of this. And if there\u2019s a need for us to agree with our colleagues in the Minority, we will. But today, I disagree completely with them,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n<p>The exchange underscores rising political tensions over the state of Ghana\u2019s cocoa sector, a critical pillar of the country\u2019s economy, as stakeholders debate the path to recovery and sustainability.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Background<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson announced a revised cocoa producer price aimed at cushioning farmers against the recent decline in global cocoa prices.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking during a press briefing on Thursday, February 12, Dr Forson disclosed that the Producer Price Review Committee (PPRC), under his chairmanship, convened earlier in the day to assess the challenges facing the sector and to review the producer price for the remainder of the 2025\u20132026 crop season.<\/p>\n<p>In order to mitigate the impact of falling international prices, the PPRC recommended that farmers receive 90% of the achieved gross Free on Board (FOB) price of USD 4,200 per tonne.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe PPRC has recommended that the farmer be paid 90% of the achieved gross fob of USD 4,200 per tonne,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, the committee has set the new producer price at GH\u20b541,392 per tonne, equivalent to GH\u20b52,587 per bag, effective immediately.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n        <div class=\"booster-block booster-reactions-block\">\n            <div class=\"twp-reactions-icons\">\n                \n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-1\" post-id=\"115223\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/happy.svg\" alt=\"Happy\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Happy                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                  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prices.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16854,1883,66,10,9,7347,1887],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-115223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cocoa-price-cut","category-national","category-new-patriotic-party-npp","category-politics","category-popular","category-randy-abbey","category-top-story"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=115223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115223\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=115223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=115223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=115223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}