The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has officially set the cocoa producer price at GH¢42,400 per tonne for the 2026/2027 crop season, up from the previous GH¢41,392 per tonne. Announced by COCOBOD Chief Executive Dr. Randy Abbey as part of the opening arrangements for the new season, the revision adds GH¢1,008 per tonne a 2.4 percent increment. The adjustment seeks to safeguard farmer earnings and provide immediate clarity on purchasing rates as harvest operations commence nationwide.
The new rate is anchored by a realized Free-On-Board (FOB) price of US$2,650 per tonne. Under this structure, cocoa growers will receive 71.18 percent of the realized FOB value, directly exceeding the government's statutory mandate to deliver at least 70 percent of gross export revenues back to farming communities. Officials emphasize that maintaining this payout ratio remains central to protecting rural livelihoods against shifting market conditions.
This season’s pricing structure is the first to operate under the newly passed Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 2026. The legislation introduced an automatic price-adjustment mechanism designed to align local farmgate rates dynamically with world market trends, inflation, and exchange rate movements. By removing arbitrary adjustments and codifying a guaranteed baseline percentage for growers, the new policy framework establishes a more predictable, transparent income stream for farmers.
Alongside pricing reforms, COCOBOD is overhauling how the harvest is financed by shifting away from traditional reliance on foreign syndicated loan markets. Through the introduction of a domestic Cocoa Notes Programme, COCOBOD aims to leverage local capital markets and Ghanaian institutional investors to fund seasonal purchasing operations. This combined strategy of dynamic farmgate pricing and localized financing marks a pivotal shift toward long-term financial sustainability for Ghana's cocoa sector.
@Volta Today
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