• Ghana has set the 2025/2026 cocoa farmgate price at $5,040 per ton, up 62.5% year-on-year.
• Cocoa farmers say the new rate still falls short of their demands due to rising costs.
• The government will revive its free input distribution program to support producers.

Ghana has raised the farmgate price of cocoa to $5,040 per ton for the 2025/2026 season, which will begin on August 7. The announcement was made by the Ministry of Finance in a statement issued on August 4.

The new price reflects a 62.5% increase compared to the previous season’s rate of $3,100 per ton. Despite this rise, many cocoa farmers consider the new price insufficient. They had called for a minimum of 4,000 cedis per 64 kg bag, equivalent to around $5,937 per ton.

Speaking on July 29, Ernestina Osei-Tutu, president of the Eastern Women Cocoa Farmers cooperative, warned that a lower farmgate price than requested could threaten farmers’ profitability. She pointed to the sharp increase in production costs, including inputs, labor, and farm maintenance.

In response to these concerns, Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson announced a series of support measures for cocoa producers. Key among them is the return of the government’s free input distribution program starting with the 2025/2026 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,” the minister said.

This move aims to revive Ghana’s struggling cocoa sector, which has been hit hard in recent years. The industry continues to face major challenges such as the spread of the swollen shoot virus, ongoing illegal gold mining (known locally as galamsey) in cocoa-growing regions, and aging plantations.

Ghana's cocoa output for the 2024/2025 season is projected at 600,000 tons, marking the fourth straight year the country has fallen short of the 800,000-ton mark. The upcoming season’s harvest projections are expected to be closely watched.