加纳议会日前通过一项严格的可可农业保护法案，规定农民未经政府批准将农场改作他用最高可判20年监禁 [1]。该法案于周四通过，相关内容至周日才向公众公开，目前仍待总统约翰·马哈马签署 [1]。法案同时针对非法采矿行为设置10至20年的监禁刑期，违法者还需为每棵受损的可可树缴纳罚款 [1]。
加纳可可农民对这一法案提出反对意见。加纳可可农民联合会主管摩西·詹·阿西杜指出："如果法律按现在的样子立法，这是不公平的" [1]。农民普遍认为政府应当为可可种植提供支持 [1]。这一立法背景下，可可产业面临严峻挑战——2024年可可期货价格从超过12000美元/公吨大幅跌至约4000美元/公吨 [1]。可可出口对加纳经济意义重大，占该国总出口收入近15% [1]。
Ghana's parliament has passed legislation imposing severe penalties for unauthorized conversion of cocoa farms, with violators facing up to 20 years in prison [1]. The bill was passed on Thursday, though its contents were not made public until Sunday [1]. The measure also establishes sentences of 10 to 20 years for illegal mining, along with mandatory fines for each damaged cocoa tree [1]. President John Mahama has not yet signed the legislation into law [1].
The law comes as Ghana's cocoa sector faces economic pressure, with cocoa futures prices plummeting from over $12,000 per metric ton in 2024 to approximately $4,000 per metric ton [1]. In Côte d'Ivoire, cocoa bean exports account for 40 percent of total export revenues, while in Ghana the figure stands at nearly 15 percent [1]. However, local farmers have criticized the legislation as unfair. Moses Zan Asidue, head of the Ghana Cocoa Farmers Association, stated: "If the law is legislated the way it is now, this is unjust," arguing that the government should instead provide support for cocoa cultivation [1].