By Lincoln G. Peters
Liberian entrepreneur and General Manager of Substantial Trade Group of Companies, Mr. Athanase Kintiga is calling on the Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to establish a standardized pricing system for cocoa purchase and export across the country.
Addressing a major press conference on Thursday, October 23, 2025, at his Red Light, Paynesville Office, Kintiga said that the lack of an unregulated market structure and pricing is seriously affecting the Liberia Cocoa sector across the country. He disclosed that Cocoa traders buy from the local farmer based on the international market pricing, something he believes that address will help sustainable development and growth of Liberia’s agriculture sector.
According to him, when the price is low on the international market, they buy in huge quantity but when the market price is high, they buy in low quantity.
He further indicated that LACRA and the Ministry of Commerce need to give a standard price for every buyer, when the cooperative is the agent bringing cocoa to the warehouse.
” One of the major challenges affecting the Cocoa sector is the issue of unfair pricing. We buy from the farmers based on the International Market system structure and pricing. Now, when the price is low, we buy more and when the price is high, we buy less. I am appealing to LACRA and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to initiate standardized pricing for the Coco sector because this international market pricing is killing us. When that is done, we believe it will create and level playing field and help us achieve more for the sector.” He stated.
According to him, when the LACRA and Commerce institute fair and standardized pricing, it will help address the storage challenges and farmer-buyer pricing conflict currently being experienced.
He further indicated that, another challenge they are faced within in exporting coco from Liberia is trust from clients because Liberia is new in the Cocoa business, unlike Ivory and Ghana and others who have been in the business for many years.
” If you want to get a contract, they give you a contract based on what they have on the international market and that is not enriching us because we have our family too. We want the fixed pricing to empower our farmers and help us generate more resources. Also, we want the government to concentrate on the issues of road rehabilitation across the country because it’s affecting us. We are paying lots of taxes and fees and we are not benefiting from anything. ” He concluded.
