On October 1, Côte d’Ivoire’s President Alassane Ouatara himself announced that the farm gate cocoa price for the 2025-2026 season would be 2,800 CFA francs/kg, a substantial increase of 56% compared to the 1,800 CFA francs of last year during the same period. This announcement was also made in the context of the presidential elections scheduled for October 25. For once, the announcement met the demand of the Ivorian Platform for Sustainable Cocoa (PICD), which was calling for a minimum farm gate price of between 2,500 and 3,000 CFA francs per kilogram.
Ghana, the world’s second-largest producer behind Côte d’Ivoire, swiftly followed suit, announcing the price would be set at 58,000 cedis (4,628 dollars) per tonne, or 2,588.8 FCFA per kilo, two days later.
These prices are well above the Living Income Reference Prices set by Fairtrade International that came into effect on October 1: $2.68 per kilo of cocoa from Ghana and €2.65 ($2.80) per kilo from Côte d’Ivoire.
These price increases are very welcome for producers, who continue to face challenges such as crop diseases that reduce yields, and adverse weather conditions such as drought or excessive rainfall. Incidentally, the price rise will put more pressure on cooperatives, who will require additional funds to purchase cocoa.
