Gov’t Raises Cocoa Producer Price by GHS 400 per bag for 2025/26 Season
The government has announced an upward adjustment of GHS 400 on every 64kg bag of cocoa beans for the 2025/2026 crop season.
At the start of the season, cocoa farmers were receiving GHS 3,225 per bag. With the latest increment, producers will now earn GHS 3,625 for every bag of cocoa sold to the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
Announcing the review at an emergency press conference in Accra, Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson said the adjustment is aimed at improving the financial wellbeing of farmers.
“This means that per every bag purchased, the cocoa farmer is getting GHS 400 additional. Simply put, for every bag the cocoa farmer sells, they will now get an extra GHS 400,” Dr Forson stated.
He added that the decision followed revisions in the government’s economic forecast, which informed the Producer Price Review Committee to relook at prices in favour of farmers.
The Minister assured that government will continue to monitor global developments in the cocoa market to take decisions that benefit producers.
Strong start to 2025/26 season
According to Bloomberg, Ghana’s cocoa deliveries to warehouses in August more than quadrupled from a year earlier after government advanced the start of the season by two months to August.
The move provided early cash to farmers and boosted supply, contributing to downward pressure on global prices.
Arrivals in the four weeks ending September 4 reached 50,440 metric tonnes, up from about 11,000 tonnes delivered during the same period in 2024, according to people familiar with the matter.
The world’s second-largest producer has also raised its farmgate price by 4.2% to GHS 3,228.75 ($261) per bag, a step expected to reduce the incentive for cross-border smuggling to neighbouring countries offering higher rates.
The global cocoa market remains on edge after successive poor harvests triggered a historic shortage that sent New York futures to record highs in 2024.
While analysts expect a modest surplus in the ongoing 2024/25 season, prices remain well above historical averages.
For the 2025/26 crop year, Ghana has projected output of 650,000 metric tonnes, compared to 600,000 tonnes harvested in the previous season. Most of the beans will be exported, though a share is supplied to domestic processors.
