Parliament has passed a sweeping new Ghana Cocoa Board Bill ahead of the 2026-27 season, combining stronger protection of cocoa farmland with reforms to producer pricing, financing and sector governance. The legislation still requires presidential assent, according to Associated Press reporting.
One provision is proving particularly contentious. Cocoa farms would receive protected status, restricting conversion to other uses without authorisation. The legislation also provides severe penalties for certain violations, with AP reporting prison terms of up to 20 years for the most serious offences involving destruction of cocoa farms, including illegal mining.
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Opposition MP Kennedy Osei Nyarko has described the restrictions as 'draconian', arguing that farmers who own or control their land should remain free to switch from cocoa into crops such as rubber or oil palm when economics favour doing so.
His warning is that restricting that option could discourage farmers from planting cocoa in the first place.