The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has alleged that some officials within licensed buying companies are diverting government funds to purchase cheaper cocoa beans smuggled from Côte d’Ivoire, a practice it says is depriving local farmers of income and putting Ghana’s reputation for premium-quality cocoa at risk.
Jake Kudjo Semahar, COCOBOD’s Director of Special Services, told Reuters that the activity has spread across four regions along the Ghana–Côte d’Ivoire border, marking a reversal of past trends when Ghanaian cocoa was smuggled out to neighbouring countries.
He warned that the situation should raise serious concern.
The surge in the practice is being driven by a significant price disparity, with cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire selling at about 1,200 cedis per 64kg bag, compared to Ghana’s higher farmgate price of 2,587 cedis.
According to Semahar, some officers and clerks are exploiting this gap for personal gain.
The Licensed Cocoa Buyers Association of Ghana has distanced its member companies from the allegations, insisting that no firm would officially approve such actions.
General Secretary Vitus Dzah attributed the misconduct to individual clerks acting out of personal greed, noting that some even fund middlemen to cross into Côte d’Ivoire to procure the beans.
He added that similar activities had previously caused significant losses during the 2004/2005 cocoa season.
The allegations add to concerns over a prolonged liquidity crisis in Ghana’s cocoa sector, which has left many farmers unpaid for beans supplied since November 2025.
Semahar cautioned that beyond denying farmers their rightful income, the practice effectively subsidises Ivorian producers and risks diluting the quality of Ghana’s cocoa if foreign beans are mixed with local supplies.
As part of efforts to curb the trend, COCOBOD’s anti-smuggling unit recently arrested four suspects and seized more than 100 bags of smuggled cocoa in Nkrankwanta in the Dormaa West District—an operation described as the beginning of a wider crackdown.
The board says investigations are ongoing, and sanctions will be applied if institutional involvement by licensed buying companies is established.
