The Majority in Parliament has urged President John Dramani Mahama to assent to the Ghana Cocoa Board Bill, dismissing concerns raised by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority as “cheap propaganda.”

The Majority says the proposed legislation will guarantee cocoa farmers 70 per cent of the world market price realised by the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), making its passage particularly important as the new cocoa season approaches.

Speaking to Citi News, the Vice Chairman of Parliament’s Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee and MP for Keta, Kwami Dzudzorli Gakpey, defended Parliament’s approval of the Bill and called on President Mahama to sign it into law without delay.

Mr Gakpey rejected the Minority’s objections, arguing that they were intended to frustrate the implementation of the legislation.

“Even in other jurisdictions, if you plant a tree and want to cut it, you seek permission or authorisation from the environmental agencies before you uproot or cut the tree. Is that not so? They are just doing cheap propaganda,” he said.

He further appealed to the President to treat the matter as urgent, given the imminent start of the new cocoa season.

“I will urge the President, as a matter of urgency, to sign the Bill into law, and then we move on because the season is just coming. That is why we took the Bill under a certificate of urgency to satisfy the need,” he added.

The Majority’s position follows opposition from the Minority, which has called on President Mahama to return the Bill to Parliament to allow for broader consultations with relevant stakeholders.

The Minority has raised concerns about provisions in the proposed legislation and maintained that additional stakeholder engagement is necessary before the Bill is enacted into law.

The disagreement comes as Ghana prepares for the upcoming cocoa season, with the proposed legislation at the centre of renewed debate over cocoa pricing, farmers’ earnings and the management of the country’s cocoa sector.