COCOBOD bill sparks outcry: Farmers face prosecution for repurposing own land, says MP

Akwim Swedru MP Kennedy Osei Nyarko has launched a fierce critique of the newly passed Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) Bill, 2026, warning that its land-use provisions effectively criminalize cocoa farmers for exercising control over their own property.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, the lawmaker disclosed that the legislation—passed by Parliament on July 30—contains a clause prohibiting any cocoa farmer from converting their farmland to purposes other than cocoa cultivation or rehabilitation, regardless of ownership status.

“Per the new Act, it doesn’t matter whether you own the land permanently, or it belongs to a family or a stool—you will be prosecuted if you decide to cut down your cocoa farm for any other purpose,” Osei Nyarko stated.

He argued that the provision strips farmers of fundamental property rights, insisting that “a cocoa farmer must have the right to decide what to use their land for at any given time.” The MP further cautioned that the law could discourage young farmers from entering the sector, as they would be locked into permanent cocoa production without flexibility to adapt to market changes or diversify income.

The bill, touted by government as a major reform to strengthen governance, regulation, and sustainable funding across the cocoa value chain, is intended to protect Ghana’s flagship export from illegal mining and deforestation. However, critics like Osei Nyarko contend that the restrictive clauses overreach, turning private landowners into potential offenders for legitimate economic decisions.

Industry watchers note that the controversy arrives amid declining global cocoa prices and rising production costs, raising questions about whether rigid land-use mandates will help or hurt farmers’ livelihoods. The COCOBOD Bill now awaits presidential assent, but Osei Nyarko has urged the government to reconsider the provisions before it becomes law, warning of “unintended consequences that could cripple the very farmers the Act seeks to protect.”

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