Ghana has decided to maintain the farmgate cocoa price set during the main crop season of the 2025/26 marketing year for the upcoming mid-crop season, which is scheduled to begin on June 18.
Ghana's cocoa regulator, the Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod), announced in a circular published on June 12 that the producer price for cocoa would remain unchanged at 41,392 cedis ($3,728) per tonne for the upcoming mid-crop season.
The current producer price was introduced in February 2026, when the government cut the farmgate price by 28.6% in response to a sharp decline in global cocoa prices, five months after the launch of the 2025/26 cocoa season in August 2025.
The reduction was prompted by falling international prices and challenges faced by traders, who found domestic purchase prices no longer competitive. This led to a buildup of cocoa stocks at Ghanaian ports.
Ghana subsequently adjusted its farmgate price to improve buying activity and ease pressure across the marketing chain. According to the authorities, the move was also aimed at restoring buyer confidence at a time when traders' margins had been significantly squeezed by lower international prices.
Balancing producer support and market competitiveness
The decision to maintain the current price for the mid-crop season signals a period of stability in Ghana's cocoa pricing policy. The government is seeking to balance support for producers' incomes with the need to preserve the competitiveness of Ghanaian cocoa on international markets.
Cocobod indicated that maintaining the current producer price was intended to provide stability and confidence to cocoa farmers ahead of the new mid-crop season. The issue remains particularly important as cocoa prices continue to weaken on international markets.
Data compiled on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) show that cocoa prices closed at $3,779 per tonne in New York on June 12, 2026, compared with $8,000 per tonne on Aug. 12, 2025. This represents a decline of nearly 53% since the start of Ghana's cocoa season.
Maintaining an edge over Côte d'Ivoire?
Ghana's decision to leave farmgate prices unchanged for the mid-crop season also comes amid similar adjustments by its main competitor, Côte d'Ivoire.
Facing the same downward pressure on global prices, Abidjan reduced the price paid to cocoa producers by 57% during the 2025/26 mid-crop season, lowering it to 1,200 CFA francs ($2.11) per kilogram, or approximately $2,110 per tonne, in March 2026.
Against this backdrop, Ghana's producer price remains significantly higher than the level paid in Côte d'Ivoire. This price gap could help reduce the incentive for cross-border smuggling into the Ivorian market as Ghana seeks to support producers and revive output.
Last month, Cocobod projected that Ghana's total cocoa harvest would reach 650,000 tonnes by the end of the 2025/26 season. If achieved, this would represent an increase of 8.33% compared with the previous season, when production totaled less than 600,000 tonnes.
