The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has announced the opening of the 2026/27 cocoa season with a new producer price of Ghc 42,400 per tonne, representing a 2.4% increase from the previous price of Ghc 41,392. This new price, effective from September 25, 2026, translates to Ghc 2,650 for a 64-kilogramme bag of cocoa. The price increase is aimed at improving returns to farmers and supporting efforts to curb cocoa smuggling.
The new producer price is 71.18% of the realised gross free-on-board (FOB) value, as mandated by the Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 2026 (Act 1182). The Act ensures that cocoa farmers receive a minimum of 70% of the realised gross FOB price of cocoa. The FOB value covers all production, packaging, export clearance, and loading fees onto the shipping vessel at the origin port, but excludes international freight, insurance, and delivery costs.
The Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 2026 (Act 1182), aims to strengthen the governance and long-term sustainability of Ghana's cocoa industry. The reforms under the new law prohibit COCOBOD from engaging in quasi-fiscal activities and establish a new financing framework to support increased domestic value addition. The Act also seeks to protect cocoa farms from illegal small-scale mining.
Dr. Randy Abbey, Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD, announced the new price during a media briefing in Accra. He stated that the new price went through consultations with the Ministry of Finance, cocoa farmers, the Chamber of Cocoa Marketing Companies, licensed buying companies, hauliers, and processors. Dr. Abbey expressed hope that the revised producer price would improve returns to farmers while supporting efforts to curb cocoa smuggling.
COCOBOD will continue implementing productivity-enhancement programmes, including the distribution of free fertiliser, free hybrid cocoa seedlings, and the Cocoa Disease and Pest Control Programme. These interventions aim to reduce farmers' production costs, improve yields, and increase farm incomes. Dr. Abbey called on cocoa farmers, traditional authorities, licensed buying companies, security agencies, cocoa-growing communities, and other stakeholders to support measures to protect the country's cocoa industry and combat smuggling.
Ghana is ready to meet the requirements of the European Union Deforestation Regulation, expected to take effect for cocoa exports from December 30, 2026. COCOBOD has fully deployed the Ghana Cocoa Traceability System across all cocoa-growing areas in the country. The system enables Ghana to supply the European Union market with cocoa that can be traced and verified as deforestation-free, child-labour-free, and legally produced.
The existing rates and fees applicable to other stakeholders in the cocoa supply chain will remain unchanged. These include buying margins, hauliers' rates, warehousing and internal marketing costs, as well as fees for disinfestation, grading and sealing, and scale inspection. The government remains committed to working with farmers and industry stakeholders to improve productivity, strengthen transparency and traceability, protect cocoa farms, and promote domestic value addition.
Key points
- The new producer price of Ghc 42,400 per tonne represents a 2.4% increase from the previous price.
- The Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 2026 (Act 1182), ensures that cocoa farmers receive a minimum of 70% of the realised gross FOB price of cocoa.
- COCOBOD has fully deployed the Ghana Cocoa Traceability System to enable Ghana to supply the European Union market with deforestation-free cocoa.
