By Kodjo Adams, GNA
Accra, Sept. 26, 2026 – Ghana has opened the 2026/27 cocoa season with an increase in the producer price of cocoa from GH¢41,392 to GH¢42,400 per tonne, representing 71.18 percent of the realised gross free-on-board (FOB) value.
The FOB is the cost of a product that covers all production, packaging, export clearance, and loading fees onto the shipping vessel at the origin port, but excludes international freight, insurance, and delivery costs.
The figure also shows that the new price per tonne is 2.4 per cent higher than the previous price.
The new price, which takes effect from Friday, September 25, 2026, translates into GH¢2,650 for a 64-kilogramme bag of cocoa.
Dr Randy Abbey, the Chief Executive Officer, Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD)announced this on Friday during a media briefing in Accra.
He said the new price went through consultations by COCOBOD with the Ministry of Finance, cocoa farmers, the Chamber of Cocoa Marketing Companies, licensed buying companies, hauliers and processors.
The new price follows the enactment of the Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 2026 (Act 1182), which provides that cocoa farmers should receive a minimum of 70 percent of the realised gross FOB price of cocoa.
The reforms under the new law are aimed at strengthening the governance and long-term sustainability of Ghana’s cocoa industry, protecting cocoa farms from illegal small-scale mining and establishing a new financing framework to support increased domestic value addition.
The Act further prohibits COCOBOD from engaging in quasi-fiscal activities.
Dr Abbey said the government and industry stakeholders expected the revised producer price to improve returns to farmers while supporting efforts to curb cocoa smuggling.
“COCOBOD is also expected to continue implementing productivity-enhancement programmes, including the distribution of free fertiliser, free hybrid cocoa seedlings and the Cocoa Disease and Pest Control Programme,” he said.
“The interventions are intended to reduce farmers’ production costs, improve yields and increase farm incomes.”
He called on cocoa farmers, traditional authorities, licensed buying companies, security agencies, cocoa-growing communities and other stakeholders to support measures to protect the country’s cocoa industry and combat smuggling.
The Chief Executive Officer highlighted Ghana’s readiness to meet the requirements of the European Union Deforestation Regulation, expected to take effect for cocoa exports from December 30, 2026.
He said COCOBOD had fully deployed the Ghana Cocoa Traceability System across all cocoa-growing areas in the country.
The system is expected to enable Ghana to supply the European Union market with cocoa that can be traced and verified as deforestation-free, child-labour-free and legally produced.
The traceability system covers raw cocoa beans as well as processed and semi-processed cocoa products, with the aim of improving transparency and sustainability throughout the cocoa supply chain.
The existing rates and fees applicable to other stakeholders in the cocoa supply chain would remain unchanged, he said.
These include buying margins, hauliers’ rates, warehousing and internal marketing costs, as well as fees for disinfestation, grading and sealing, and scale inspection.
The government, he said, remained committed to working with farmers and industry stakeholders to improve productivity, strengthen transparency and traceability, protect cocoa farms, and promote domestic value addition.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Reporter : Kodjo AdamsÂ
[email protected]Â