Côte d’Ivoire Slashes Cocoa Producer Price by 57% Amid Global Market Slump
Ivorian Authorities Take Measures to Support Farmers Amid Falling International Cocoa Prices
- Côte d’Ivoire cuts cocoa farmgate price by 57% to CFA1,200/kg for 2025/2026 mid-crop.
- Government allocates $496 million to buy back 100,000 tonnes of unsold beans
- Price drop follows global slump from $12,906/tonne in Dec 2024 to $2,952/tonne in Feb 2026.
Côte d’Ivoire has slashed the farmgate price for cocoa by 57% to CFA1,200 ($2.13) per kilogram for the 2025/2026 mid-crop season, which begins in March, one month earlier than usual. The move was announced on March 4 by Bruno Koné. During the main crop season from October to February, the price had been set at CFA2,800 per kilogram.
“This decision was not taken lightly,” Koné said, linking the adjustment to falling global cocoa prices.
Impact of Global Price Drops
Global cocoa prices have tumbled from a record high of $12,906 per tonne in December 2024 to around $2,952 per tonne on February 24, their lowest level in more than two years. The slump slowed international purchases and led to a stockpile of 100,000 tonnes of unsold cocoa beans, according to the Conseil du Café-Cacao.
To support farmers and ease tensions, the government allocated CFA280 billion ($496 million) to buy back the unsold beans at the guaranteed main-season price. So far, 23,000 tonnes have been purchased, according to data from the Interprofessional Agricultural Cocoa Organization cited by Reuters.
Strategy for Stability
While the Ivorian price cut is deeper than Ghana’s 28.6% reduction, Côte d’Ivoire’s price remains higher in absolute terms, helping limit illegal cross-border flows and reduce costs for importers.
Bloomberg reports that international traders have also benefited from the removal of the quality premium and the $400-per-tonne Living Income Differential, introduced in 2020/2021 to support farmers’ earnings.
The new pricing policy aims to accelerate trading operations. Data from CocoaRadar show increased activity at Côte d’Ivoire’s main export ports, with 28,000 tonnes arriving for the week ending March 1, compared with 18,000 tonnes during the same period last year.
