• Ghana’s Cocobod announces plan to fulfill 100,000 tons of delayed contracts during the 2025/2026 harvest.
• Production fell sharply in 2023/2024 due to bad weather, disease, illegal mining, and smuggling.
• New measures aim to revive output and restore confidence in Ghana’s cocoa sector

West Africa produces 70% of the world’s cocoa, with Ghana as the second-largest supplier after Côte d’Ivoire. The country is working to revive its cocoa industry after a historically low harvest in 2023/2024.

Cocobod, Ghana’s cocoa regulator, announced it will fulfill 100,000 tons of cocoa contracts that were postponed due to production setbacks. Ransford Abbey, Director General of Cocobod, made the announcement on June 26.

Last season, authorities sold more contracts in advance than they could deliver. Poor weather, the cocoa swollen shoot virus, illegal mining, and smuggling caused a sharp drop in output, forcing the deferral of 330,000 tons of contracts.

For the current 2024/2025 season, Cocobod has managed to deliver only 230,000 tons out of a harvest now forecast at 600,000 tons. Abbey said the outlook for 2025/2026 is brighter, with a new four-year plan expected to raise production above this year’s level.

Cocobod is rolling out reforms to curb illegal exports, distribute improved seeds, and rehabilitate farms hit by the swollen shoot disease. These measures aim to restore productivity and stabilize the sector.

However, analysts urge caution. Cocobod has repeatedly revised its output forecasts for 2024/2025, lowering estimates from 650,000 tons at the start of the season to 617,500 tons in December, and then to 600,000 tons by mid-June.

Meanwhile, the global market is bracing for a fourth consecutive cocoa deficit, as ongoing drought continues to hamper mid-crop yields in both Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.

This article was initially published in French by Espoir Olodo

Edited in English by Ange Jason Quenum