According to him, at a time when cocoa producers are grappling with falling incomes and rising production costs, national priorities must be reassessed.
He argued that resources spent on maintaining or acquiring a presidential jet would be better invested in the livelihoods of farmers who sustain one of Ghana’s most critical export sectors.
“Presidential jet funds should go to cocoa farmers,” Afenyo-Markin declared, insisting that the welfare of nearly a million farming households must take precedence over luxury expenditures.
His comments come amid ongoing controversy surrounding cocoa producer prices and funding challenges within the cocoa sector.
Farmers in several cocoa-growing regions have voiced concerns about financial pressures, warning that inadequate support could weaken production and deepen rural hardship.
The Minority Leader further stressed that cocoa remains a backbone of the economy and deserves urgent policy attention. He called on the government to demonstrate commitment to farmers not just through promises, but through concrete budgetary decisions.
While government officials have yet to respond directly to his remarks, the call is expected to intensify debate in Parliament and across political lines.
As discussions heat up, the broader question lingers: should state prestige projects give way to grassroots economic survival — especially in a sector that has powered Ghana’s economy for generations?