The government has announced an increment in the cocoa producer price from GH¢49,600 per tonne to GH¢51,660 (US$3,100 to US$5,040) for the 2025/2026 crop season.This translates into GH¢3,228.75 per a 64-kilogramme gross weight of cocoa.
The new price regime takes effect from Thursday, August 7, 2025.Announcing the new price at a press conference in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, said the increment represents 70 per cent of the gross Free-On-Board (FOB) value of US$7,200 per tonne, and aligns with President John Dramani Mahama's promise to pay cocoa farmers 70 per cent of the FOB.Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson (head of table) addressing the press conference Photo: Ebo GormanDr Forson explained that for the 2024/25 cocoa season, the previous administration set an FOB value of US$4,850 per tonne of cocoa, and the producer price at US$3,100, representing 63.9 per cent of FOB, even though the world market price at the time was much better."The Gross FOB value was arrived at using outstanding cocoa contracts of about 100,000 tonnes sold at US$2,600 per tonne in the 2023/2024 crop season, and average forecast for the 2025/2026 crop season," he stated.According to Dr Forson, since the second quarter of 2025, the government had taken steps to maintain the Cedi equivalent of the US$3,100 per tonne at GH¢16 to US$1, translating into GH¢49,600 per tonne.This measure by the government, he said, was to protect the cocoa farmer against the loss of income due to the strong performance of the Cedi.By maintaining the price at GH¢3,100 per bag since the turn of the year amidst the strong performance of the Ghana Cedi, the government, the Finance Minister said, has subsidised the cocoa farmer with an amount of GH¢1,114 for each bag of cocoa sold since the second quarter of 2025.This intervention by the government moved the farmer's share of the FOB from 63.9 per cent to over 99 per cent, noted.He disclosed that the Producer Price Review Committee has also approved rates, margins, and fees for all other stakeholders in the cocoa supply chain including buyers' margin, haulers' rate, warehousing and internal marketing costs, fees for disinfestation, grading and sealing, and, weighing scale inspection.In preparation for the new season, the Minister said COCOBOD has made available jute sacks and related logistics for the smooth take-off of the 2025/2026 crop Season.As part of measures to enhance cocoa yields, Dr Forson announced that the government had reintroduced the free cocoa fertiliser programme as an additional support for cocoa farmers, beginning this crop year as it targets to produce 600,000 tonnes of cocoa for the season."Beginning this crop year, President Mahama's administration will supply free cocoa fertilisers - both liquid and granular - free insecticides, free spraying machines, free fungicides, and free flower inducers to farmers.
Government strongly advises cocoa farmers to apply these inputs solely for the purpose of improving cocoa yield and their income.
Do not smuggle them," he said.The government, the Minister also added had introduced a Tertiary Education Scholarship Scheme for children of cocoa farmers."Consequently, in the 2025/26 season, COCOBOD will develop modalities and implement the Cocoa Tertiary Scholarship Scheme for children of cocoa farmers, which will take effect from the 2026/27 academic year."Beginning this year, Dr Forson said the COCOBOD would focus solely on its core mandate so as to firmly place it on the path of recovery and position it to deliver critical services to the cocoa farmer and support the Ghanaian economy.He also indicated of the Cocoa Traceability System to ensure that cocoa produced in Ghana, could be traced from a pot of land to a port of shipment so as to ensure that Ghana was in full compliance with the due diligence requirements of the European Union Deforestation Regulations which take effect from December 31, 2025.
