Ghana cocoa farm protection bill

Ghana's parliament passed a bill that would give all cocoa farms protected status, making it a criminal offense to convert them to other uses without government approval. The toughest penalties target illegal gold mining, with prison sentences of 10 to 20 years and heavy fines per affected cocoa tree. President John Mahama has not yet signed the law. Farmers, represented by the Ghana Cooperative Cocoa Farmers and Marketing Association Limited, have criticized the bill as unfair, arguing that farmers receive little government support despite investing heavily in their farms. The bill comes amid volatile cocoa prices, which surged to over $12,000 per metric ton in 2024 before crashing to around $4,000.