Accra, Aug. 31, GNA – Fairtrade Africa has called for stronger collaboration among cocoa sector stakeholders to enhance the living income for cocoa farmers amid pressure from low market prices and rising production cost.
In a release copied to Ghana News Agency on Monday, Mr Benjamin Kouame, the Immediate Past Board Chair of Fairtrade Africa, stressed on the importance of adopting an economic model that returned financial benefits to farmers and workers.
He was speaking at the Fair-Trade Africa Change Day 2026, which brought together Fairtrade-certified small holder farmers and workers from across Africa, traders, development partners and other stakeholders to reflect on market access challenges and examine progress in improving farmer livelihoods.
The event follows the publication of the new Fairtrade Living Income Reference Prices for cocoa, which provides a benchmark for the price required for a farmer and their household to achieve a decent standard of living from cocoa production.
For Ghana, the reference price was set at GH¢45.40 per kilogramme, equivalent to about US$3.95 and a 10 per cent increase on the previous level.
In Côte d’Ivoire, the price was pegged at 1,758 CFA francs per kilogramme, approximately US$3.11 and a 47 per cent increase.
Mr Isaac Tongola, the Executive Director of Fairtrade Africa, explained the New Living Income Reference Prices as a clear benchmark for buyers and other actors seeking to build more sustainable cocoa supply chains.
“Fairtrade, through its standards, is setting that level, and then we can ask our partners, the traders, to buy at that level,” he said.
The Living Income Reference Price is one part of Fairtrade’s multifaceted approach to supporting farmers, alongside the Fairtrade Standards, the Fairtrade Minimum Price, its Premium and Programmes.
The Fairtrade Minimum Price serves as a floor price that buyers must pay when prices fell below the cost of production, providing a safety net for farmers.
The Premium is an additional amount paid on top of the purchase price, which farmers can invest in their businesses and communities.
Fairtrade Africa has reported progress through its West Africa Cocoa Programme with over 48,000 beneficiaries in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.
The poverty levels among the beneficiaries were said to have declined to 17 per cent while the proportion earning a living income had risen from 28 per cent to 48 per cent.
Stakeholders at the forum highlighted the need for stronger strategic partnerships and sustained investment to build more resilient and commercially viable cocoa supply chains.
Priority areas included improving quality and productivity, strengthening farmers’ resilience against plant disease that affects yields, and addressing the rising cost of inputs.
Fairtrade Africa is the independent, non-profit umbrella organisation representing close to 1.5 million farmers and workers in more than 700 Fairtrade-certified producer organisations across the continent.
It works through four regional networks spanning West, Southern, Eastern and Central Africa, and the Middle East and North Africa.
The organisation works across 18 product categories and has made strides in its pursuit of stronger collaborations with stakeholders in respective sectors under the newly launched three-year strategy.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Writer’s email: [email protected]