The government of Ghana has announced an increase in the producer price of cocoa for the 2026/2027 crop season. The new price is set at GH¢42,400 per tonne, representing a GH¢1,008 increase from the previous season. This translates to GH¢2,650 for a 64-kilogramme bag of cocoa. The price increase was announced by Ransford Abbey, Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), in Accra on Friday, September 25, as he declared the new cocoa season open.
The new producer price is 71.18 per cent of the realised gross free-on-board (FOB) price. The increase was agreed upon following consultations among COCOBOD, the Ministry of Finance, cocoa farmers, and stakeholders, including licensed buying companies, hauliers, and processors. This development is under the newly enacted Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 2026, which guarantees cocoa farmers a minimum of 70 per cent of the realised gross FOB price.
The Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 2026, forms part of reforms aimed at strengthening the financial and institutional sustainability of the cocoa sector. The Act introduces a new financing framework to support increased domestic value addition and prohibits COCOBOD from engaging in quasi-fiscal activities. The revised producer price comes as the cocoa industry undergoes changes to its financing and governance arrangements.
Existing rates and fees for other participants in the cocoa supply chain have been maintained. These include buyers' margins, hauliers' rates, warehousing and internal marketing costs, as well as charges for grading, sealing, and disinfestation. Beyond the producer price, COCOBOD will continue with productivity enhancement programmes to reduce the cost of production and improve yields.
The productivity enhancement programmes include the distribution of free fertiliser and hybrid cocoa seedlings, as well as the Cocoa Diseases and Pests Control Programme. These interventions are expected to improve farm productivity and increase farmer incomes. The new price is also expected to support efforts to curb cocoa smuggling, a concern for the industry.
COCOBOD has fully deployed the Ghana Cocoa Traceability System across all cocoa-growing areas. The system will enable Ghana to meet the requirements of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), expected to take effect from December 30, 2026. The traceability system aims to demonstrate that Ghanaian cocoa supplied to the European Union market is traceable, deforestation-free, free from child labour, and legally produced.
The Ghana Cocoa Traceability System will strengthen transparency and sustainability across the cocoa value chain, covering raw beans as well as processed and semi-processed cocoa products. Ransford Abbey called on farmers, traditional authorities, licensed buying companies, security agencies, and cocoa-growing communities to support measures to protect cocoa produced in the country.
Key points
- The producer price of cocoa has been increased to GH¢42,400 per tonne for the 2026/2027 season.
- The new price is 71.18 per cent of the realised gross free-on-board (FOB) price.
- COCOBOD has deployed the Ghana Cocoa Traceability System to ensure sustainability and transparency in the cocoa value chain.
