Cocoa-growing communities across Ghana are grappling with disbelief and anxiety following the government’s decision to reduce the producer price of cocoa beans in the middle of the crop season, an action many farmers say is unprecedented.
In an announcement on February 12, 2026 the Producer Price Review Committee (PPRC) revealed that the farmgate price for the remainder of the 2025/2026 season will be adjusted downward to GH¢41,392 per metric tonne, equivalent to GH¢2,587 per 64kg bag.
The new rate marks a 28.6 percent drop from the GH¢58,000 per tonne (GH¢3,625 per bag) set, at the beginning of the season in October 2025.
While farmers who sold their beans before February 13 will receive the earlier rate, those delivering afterward must accept the reduced price.
The decision has sent shockwaves through cocoa-producing regions including Ashanti, Ahafo, Western North and Bono regions, where cocoa farming forms the backbone of local economies. Many farmers describe the move as the first time in their memory that earnings have been cut outright during an active season.
“We’ve never seen this before,” said Kwame Asante, a 58-year-old farmer from Adomfe in Asante Akyem South, speaking on the People’s Forum Platform.
“Governments always talk about increasing prices to reward our work and prevent smuggling. Now they’ve reduced it. School fees are due, fertilizers are expensive and suddenly I’m earning over GH¢1,000 less per bag. It feels like our labour has been devalued overnight.”
Explaining the rationale behind the adjustment, Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson cited sharp declines in global cocoa prices.
After reaching highs between $7,000 and $12,000 per tonne in 2024, international prices have reportedly fallen to between $3,600 and $4,000 per tonne in recent months.
According to the minister, Ghana’s previously high farmgate price made its cocoa less competitive on the global market, leading to unsold stocks, payment delays, and liquidity constraints at the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
Government officials maintain that even with the reduction, farmers will still receive 90 percent of the achieved gross Free-On-Board (FOB) export value well above the statutory minimum of 70 percent.
Authorities have also outlined complementary measures aimed at stabilizing the sector, including the introduction of a domestic cocoa bond financing model, plans to increase local processing beyond 50 percent of total output, and proposed legislation to guarantee future minimum producer prices.
However, on the ground, the policy explanations have done little to calm frustrations. Farmers’ groups say the timing and scale of the cut are particularly painful, given rising production costs driven by climate variability, high input prices, and labour shortages.
Some growers in Western North have reportedly warned that sustained price instability could push farmers to abandon cocoa for other crops.
The Ghana National Cocoa Farmers Association has acknowledged the pressures of global market fluctuations, but has urged government to expedite the clearance of outstanding arrears and engage farmers in broader consultations.
Some farmer coalitions have indicated a willingness to accept lower future prices if outstanding payments are settled promptly.
Meanwhile, the NPP Minority in Parliament has criticized the reduction as a betrayal of earlier assurances to protect farmer incomes, arguing that affected growers stand to lose approximately GH¢16,608 per tonne under the revised pricing.
As the mid-crop harvest continues, uncertainty hangs over Ghana’s cocoa belt. The challenge now facing policymakers is how to reconcile global market realities with the livelihoods of millions who depend on cocoa production.
For many farmers working beneath the shade of cocoa trees, the dominant feeling remains one of shock at a price decrease few anticipated and even fewer were prepared for.
The post Cocoa Farmers Unhappy Over Cocoa Price Reduction appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.
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