The government of Ivory Coast has fixed the farmgate price of cocoa at 1,200 CFA francs per kilogram for the 2025-2026 intermediate season, a 57 percent reduction from the main crop price of 2,800 CFA francs, in a decisive move to clear mounting unsold stocks and realign domestic pricing with depressed global markets.
Agriculture Minister Bruno Nabagné Koné announced the measure on March 4, explaining that the adjustment responds directly to cocoa price trends. “This decision was not taken lightly,” he stated, linking the reduction to global market realities. The new rate takes effect from March, one month earlier than the typical mid-crop start, marking the first time Ivory Coast has reclassified March harvests as part of the intermediate season.
Global cocoa futures have collapsed from record highs of $12,906 per tonne in December 2024 to approximately $2,952 per tonne in late February 2026, their lowest level in more than two years. The price crash generated substantial losses for international traders and slowed purchases, leaving an estimated 100,000 tonnes of unsold beans stranded inland and at Ivorian ports. The government allocated 280 billion CFA francs ($496 million) to buy back the entire volume at the guaranteed main-season price, with 23,000 tonnes already purchased as of early March.
Officials confirmed that cocoa sales have now returned to normal across the country, with export shipments proceeding as planned. Data from Reuters shows renewed activity at major ports, with weekly arrivals for early March reaching approximately 28,000 tonnes, compared with 18,000 tonnes during the same period last year.
The Coffee-Cocoa Council acknowledged that cash flow challenges have sometimes led to delayed or partial payments below the official price. To address this, the regulator plans to introduce a major reform from September 2026 requiring all cocoa transactions to be conducted using a producer’s card. Authorities say the new system will improve transparency, strengthen traceability, and ensure farmers receive the full official price.
For the Ivorian economy, cocoa remains the dominant export earner and source of livelihoods for millions of rural households. The price reduction, while painful for farmers, aims to restore competitiveness and clear the stockpile that threatened to disrupt the entire marketing system. Ivory Coast’s reduction exceeds Ghana’s 28.6 percent cut to 41,392 cedis per tonne, positioning Ivorian cocoa more attractively in absolute terms and potentially limiting illegal cross-border flows. The reforms mark a fresh effort to modernise and secure the future of the world’s largest cocoa sector.
