Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod) has announced a new producer price of GH¢42,400 per tonne for the 2026/2027 cocoa season. This translates to GH¢2,650 for every 64-kilogramme bag of cocoa sold by farmers. The adjustment represents an increase of GH¢1,008 per tonne over the GH¢41,392 price that applied during the 2025/2026 season. The new rate took effect on 25 September 2026.
The Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has expressed disappointment with the new price, saying it still shortchanges farmers. He described the government's conduct on the matter as reckless and warned that his side would continue to challenge the administration on behalf of farmers. Annoh-Dompreh also criticised the government's handling of other agricultural products, including rice, maize, and yam.
Cocobod maintains that the GH¢42,400 figure represents 71.18 percent of the realised gross Free-On-Board (FOB) value of cocoa. This share sits above the 70 percent minimum guaranteed to farmers under the newly enacted Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 2026. The Act introduced changes to how the sector is financed and governed.
Cocobod Chief Executive Officer Dr Randy Abbey said the price followed consultations with the Ministry of Finance, cocoa farmers, licensed buying companies, hauliers, and processors. The Board indicated the producer price remains open to review should market conditions or other relevant factors change.
The pricing announcement comes at a difficult moment for Ghana's cocoa industry, which has been grappling with a broader financing crisis. Days earlier, Cocobod had turned to local markets after its attempt to secure a $1.4 billion syndicated loan collapsed. The new price also arrives as the 2026 rollout of the Cocoa Sector Reform under Act 1182 continues.
The producer price directly determines how much cash reaches cocoa farming households at the farm gate, making it one of the most closely watched figures in rural Ghana each season. With Cocobod itself acknowledging the price could still be adjusted, and opposition figures signalling continued pressure over farmer incomes, no fixed timeline has been given for any further review.
The dispute over whether GH¢2,650 per bag is fair leaves open questions about how the sector's financing troubles and the new Act 1182 reforms will ultimately affect what farmers take home. Cocobod is implementing accompanying measures such as free fertiliser, free hybrid seedlings, its Cocoa Disease and Pest Control Programme, and the nationwide deployment of the Ghana Cocoa Traceability System.
Key points
- Cocobod sets new cocoa price at GH¢42,400 per tonne for 2026/2027 season.
- Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh criticises the new price as a disappointment to farmers.
- The producer price could still be adjusted should market conditions or other relevant factors change.
