Ecuador is poised to surpass Ghana as the world’s second-largest cocoa producer, with output expected to exceed 650,000 metric tons in the 2026/27 season, according to the country’s exporters’ association.
Anecacao chairman Ivan Ontaneda told Reuters that soaring cocoa prices have encouraged farmers, backed by both public and private investment, to expand production and increase yields. “Ecuador’s production has shown steady growth (for) years. Ghana’s production has been volatile,” Ontaneda said.
Figures from the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) highlight Ghana’s decline, with output falling from 654,000 tons in 2022/23 to 530,000 in 2023/24, before a tentative recovery to 600,000 tons in 2024/25. Indonesia, by contrast, has climbed steadily in the same period, from 160,000 to 180,000 and 200,000 tons.
With Côte d’Ivoire as the largest producer of cocoa in the world, Ecuador and Indonesia gaining grounds, Ghana could move to fourth position, if effective measures are not put in place
The Netherlands’ Ambassador to Ghana, Jeroen Verheul, warned in May that Ghana’s status as a cocoa powerhouse faces “serious threat” from declining productivity, insufficient investment, and rising international sustainability demands.
Global cocoa prices more than doubled last year, reaching record highs above $12,000 a ton after disease and poor harvests in West Africa, which supplies about half of the world’s cocoa. Prices have since dropped by roughly a third but remain historically elevated.
Ontaneda noted that Ecuadorian farmers receive about 90% of the world price, while farmers in Ivory Coast and Ghana secure only 60–70% at best. Ecuador, South America’s top grower, has already helped offset supply shortages, and its cocoa is largely produced in agroforestry systems that mix cocoa with shade trees, plantains, coffee, and fruit, methods that reduce disease risk and protect biodiversity.
Currently, Ecuador’s cocoa farms yield about 800 kilograms per hectare annually, compared to just under 500 kilograms in West Africa. Output is projected to exceed 570,000 tons in 2025/26, with expectations of 800,000 tons by 2030.
