Government has maintained the producer price of cocoa for the 2026 Light Crop Season at GH¢41,392.00 per tonne, in a policy move aimed at cushioning farmers as “international cocoa prices experience a downward trend” and preserving rural incomes within the country’s key export sector.
According to COCOBOD, the decision ensures that producer pricing “remains unchanged” despite ongoing volatility on the international cocoa market, where downward pressure on prices has raised concerns about farm-level earnings across producing countries. The maintained pricing structure is expected to provide short-term stability for cocoa-growing communities as the new season commences.
Purchasing activities for the 2026 Light Crop Season are scheduled to begin on Thursday, June 18, 2026, indicating the formal rollout of the domestic procurement chain involving Licensed Buying Companies and other sector actors.
Under the pricing arrangement, Grade I and II cocoa beans will continue to be purchased at GH¢1,241.76 per 30-kilogram load. In addition, a 64-kilogram gross bag will attract GH¢2,587.00, maintaining the existing structure across all purchase points. COCOBOD confirmed that the standard tonne equivalent of 16 bags will remain priced at GH¢41,392.00, reinforcing continuity in producer earnings calculations for the season.
The Board stated that the pricing stance aligns with the government’s broader policy direction of “protecting the incomes and livelihoods” of cocoa farmers, particularly during a time of global commodity market uncertainty. It further positions the state as absorbing external price shocks to avoid immediate transmission to farm-gate earnings.
The unchanged pricing framework may support supply-side confidence ahead of the light crop season, although it also comes into conflict with broader fiscal considerations linked to global cocoa revenue trends.
