GCCP Raises Concerns Over New Cocoa Producer Price for 2025/2026 Season

The Ghana Civil-Society Cocoa Platform (GCCP) has expressed mixed feelings over the government’s recently announced cocoa producer price for the 2025/2026 season, describing the increase as misleading and insufficient to uplift the livelihoods of cocoa farmers.

In a press statement issued today, the platform acknowledged the announcement of a new farmgate price of USD $5,040 per metric tonne, which government sources claim reflects a 62% increase from last season’s USD $3,100. However, the GCCP argues that this comparison is misleading when translated into local terms, as the actual increase in Ghanaian cedi amounts to just 4.1%, rising from GH¢3,100 to GH¢3,228.75 per 64-kg bag.

Discrepancies in Pricing Commitments

The group further expressed disappointment over what it described as a departure from earlier government promises. According to the GCCP, both the President and the Minister of Agriculture had previously pledged to ensure that farmers would receive 70% of the international market price. Yet, the recent statement by the Minister of Finance references the Free on Board (FoB) price, which is typically lower than the global market price — a shift the GCCP says lacks transparency and contradicts prior commitments.

Cocoa Farmers Still Struggling

Despite the revised price, the GCCP stressed that cocoa farmers continue to face a host of unresolved challenges, including:

• Rising production costs, driven by expensive agricultural inputs and labor
• Climate change effects, such as unpredictable weather patterns and increasing threats from crop diseases like black pod
• Worsening smuggling and market instability, fueled by price differences between Ghana and neighboring countries

Call for Fairness and Preparedness

The platform welcomed government efforts to reintroduce support programs such as input supplies and productivity enhancement initiatives. However, it warned against the politicization of such interventions, citing past instances of interference by political party operatives at the community and district levels.

In a positive light, the GCCP also commended the government’s pledge to roll out the Ghana Cocoa Traceability System, aimed at ensuring compliance with the EU Deforestation Regulation set to take effect by the end of 2025. While describing the move as crucial, the platform voiced concern that many cocoa farmers remain uninformed and unprepared for the regulation, potentially undermining its success and the farmers’ ability to benefit.

The GCCP has called for renewed transparency in cocoa pricing, stronger support systems for farmers, and urgent awareness campaigns to prepare cocoa producers for upcoming regulatory changes in the global market.