Ghana has opened the 2026/2027 cocoa season with a major increase in the producer price, setting the stage for what is an unusually wide price gap wit
Ghana has opened the 2026/2027 cocoa season with a major increase in the producer price, setting the stage for what is an unusually wide price gap with neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire, the world’s largest cocoa producer.
The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has increased the producer price from GH¢41,392 per tonne to GH¢42,400 per tonne, equivalent to GH¢2,650 per 64-kilogramme bag, effective Friday, September 25, 2026.
The announcement was made by the Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD, Dr. Ransford Anertey Abbey, who said the new price represents 71.18 percent of Ghana’s realised gross Free-on-Board (FOB) value.
The increase places Ghana’s cocoa producer price significantly above the current farmgate price in Côte d’Ivoire, creating a notable price differential between the two leading cocoa-producing countries.
Côte d’Ivoire has set its guaranteed farmgate price for the 2026/2027 main cocoa crop at 1,200 CFA francs per kilogramme.
Using a September 2026 exchange rate cited in current reporting, the Ivorian price is approximately GH¢24.25 per kilogramme, compared with Ghana’s GH¢42.40 per kilogramme. That translates into a difference of roughly GH¢18.15 per kilogramme, or about GH¢1,162 per 64-kilogramme bag, based on the stated exchange rate.
The price difference is particularly significant because cocoa smuggling across Ghana’s borders has been a longstanding concern, with price differentials between the two countries historically influencing incentives in the cocoa trade.
Dr. Abbey said the new Ghanaian price was reached after extensive consultations involving key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Finance, cocoa farmers and the Chamber of Cocoa Marketers, which comprises licensed buying companies, hauliers and processors.
He said the decision was consistent with the Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 2026 (Act 1182), which guarantees Ghanaian cocoa farmers a minimum of 70 percent of the realised gross FOB price.
The new legislation also introduces reforms intended to strengthen the governance and financial sustainability of the cocoa sector, including stronger protection for cocoa farms against illegal small-scale mining, a new financing framework to support domestic value addition and a prohibition on COCOBOD engaging in quasi-fiscal activities.
Dr. Abbey said COCOBOD would complement the higher producer price with productivity-enhancement programmes designed to reduce the production burden on farmers and increase yields.
These interventions include the provision of free fertiliser, free hybrid cocoa seedlings and the Cocoa Disease and Pest Control Programme.
He said the measures were intended to improve farm productivity and incomes while contributing to President John Dramani Mahama’s vision of a robust, resilient and sustainable cocoa industry.
The COCOBOD CEO also expressed confidence that the new producer price would help efforts to curb cocoa smuggling.
He therefore appealed to cocoa farmers, traditional authorities, licensed buying companies, security agencies, cocoa-growing communities and other Ghanaians to support efforts to protect the country’s cocoa and ensure that farmers and their communities benefit from the sector.
Another major development announced by COCOBOD is the full deployment of the Ghana Cocoa Traceability System across all cocoa-growing areas.
Dr. Abbey said the system positions Ghana to meet the requirements of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which is expected to take effect on December 30, 2026.
According to him, the traceability system will enable Ghana to supply the European Union market with cocoa that is traceable, deforestation-free, child-labour-free and legally produced.
He said the system would also strengthen transparency and sustainability across the cocoa value chain, covering raw cocoa beans as well as processed and semi-processed products.
Meanwhile, existing rates and fees for other stakeholders in the cocoa supply chain have been maintained.
These include buyers’ margins, hauliers’ rates, warehousing and internal marketing costs, as well as charges for disinfestation, grading and sealing, and scale inspection.
Dr. Abbey reaffirmed COCOBOD’s commitment to working with farmers and other industry stakeholders to improve productivity, strengthen traceability, protect cocoa farms and promote domestic value addition.
With the new producer price taking effect immediately, he formally declared the 2026/2027 cocoa season open, giving Ghanaian cocoa farmers a higher guaranteed price while placing Ghana’s farmgate price well above Côte d’Ivoire’s current rate.
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