The government has raised the producer price of cocoa from GH¢41,392 to GH¢42,400 per tonne for the 2026/2027 crop season, representing an increase of GH¢1,008 for farmers compared with the previous season. The new producer price is equivalent to GH¢2,650 per 64-kilogramme bag of cocoa and accounts for 71.18 per cent of the realised gross free-on-board (FOB) price. Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Ransford Abbey, announced the new price in Accra on Friday, September 25, as he officially opened the 2026/2027 cocoa season.
According to Mr Abbey, the new price was reached after consultations between COCOBOD, the Ministry of Finance, cocoa farmers and key stakeholders represented by the Chamber of Cocoa Marketers. These stakeholders include licensed buying companies, hauliers and processors. The announcement follows the enactment of the Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 2026, which guarantees cocoa farmers a minimum of 70 per cent of the realised gross FOB price.
New framework
The legislation is part of broader reforms designed to enhance the financial and institutional sustainability of the cocoa sector while ensuring better earnings for farmers. According to the CEO, the Act establishes a new financing framework aimed at boosting local value addition and bars COCOBOD from undertaking quasi-fiscal activities. The revised producer price comes amid ongoing reforms to the industry’s financing and governance structures. Meanwhile, existing rates and fees across the cocoa value chain, including buyers’ margins, haulage charges, warehousing and internal marketing costs, as well as grading, sealing, and disinfestation fees, remain unchanged.
Farmer support
Beyond the increase in the producer price, he noted that COCOBOD would sustain its productivity enhancement initiatives aimed at lowering production costs and boosting cocoa yields. These interventions include the free distribution of fertiliser and hybrid cocoa seedlings, alongside the Cocoa Diseases and Pests Control Programme. According to him, the measures are expected to enhance farm productivity and ultimately improve the incomes of cocoa farmers.
He added that the revised producer price could also help address the persistent challenge of cocoa smuggling within the industry. He therefore urged farmers, traditional leaders, licensed buying companies, security agencies, and cocoa-growing communities to support efforts to safeguard cocoa produced in the country.
Traceability
He also disclosed that COCOBOD had fully rolled out the Ghana Cocoa Traceability System across all cocoa-producing areas in the country. According to him, the system would enable Ghana to comply with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which is scheduled to come into effect on December 30, 2026.
The traceability system is designed to demonstrate that cocoa exported to the European Union is fully traceable, produced without deforestation or child labour, and complies with applicable legal requirements. He added that the system would enhance transparency and sustainability throughout the cocoa value chain, covering both raw cocoa beans and processed and semi-processed cocoa products.
