Some cocoa farmers in Ghana say they have not received payment for beans sold since November 2025, leaving many struggling to meet basic daily expenses. Farmers who spoke to JoyNews Research from different cocoa-producing regions confirmed that payments for cocoa delivered several months ago remain outstanding, despite repeated assurances from the Ghana Cocoa Board, COCOBOD. The restructured system, introduced for the 2024/2025 cocoa season, shifted the responsibility for pre-financing cocoa purchases from COCOBOD to international traders. Under Ghana’s reworked cocoa financing system, farmers sell beans to licensed buying companies, which then sell to COCOBOD. However, funds have dried up since the 2023/2024 crop season, after interest rates surged amid concerns about Ghana’s ability to deliver cocoa beans without defaulting.