The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has rejected the government’s GH¢2,650 per 64-kilogramme bag cocoa producer price for the 2026/27 season, arguing that farmers should be receiving about GH¢2,968 per bag and demanding an immediate review.
The party says the new price represents an increase of just GH¢63, or 2.4 percent, over the GH¢2,587 per bag paid in the 2025/26 season.
The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) announced the new producer price of GH¢42,400 per tonne, up from GH¢41,392, with effect from Friday, September 25, 2026. You can read the full details of the new 2026/27 cocoa producer price announcement here.
COCOBOD insists the price complies with the law, saying it represents 71.18 percent of the realised gross Free-On-Board (FOB) value.
NPP says cocoa price is GH¢318 short per bag
According to the NPP, farmers are being underpaid by roughly GH¢318 on every bag of cocoa sold.
“Even on conservative assumptions, farmers are being underpaid by approximately GH¢318 on every bag, or more than GH¢5,000 on every tonne,” the party said in its statement.
The party describes the GH¢2,650 price as “inadequate” and says the figures used to arrive at it require greater transparency.
How the NPP arrived at GH¢2,968 per bag
The alternative figure was worked out by Dr Isaac Yaw Opoku, Co-chair of the NPP Policy Committee on Agriculture. He based it on the lower end of current international cocoa prices.
- International cocoa price used: US$5,500 per tonne
- Plus Living Income Differential (LID): US$400 per tonne
- Gross value: US$5,900 per tonne
- Exchange rate used: GH¢11.50 to US$1, giving GH¢67,850 per tonne
- 70 percent of gross FOB: GH¢47,495 per tonne
- Divided by 16 bags per tonne: about GH¢2,968 per 64kg bag
The NPP wants COCOBOD to disclose the methodology, international benchmark price and exchange rate behind its own calculation.
What the Ghana Cocoa Board Act 2026 requires
At the centre of the dispute is Section 57 of the Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 2026 (Act 1182). It states that the producer price paid to farmers must not be less than 70 percent of the gross FOB price.
COCOBOD says its 71.18 percent figure meets that requirement. The NPP disputes the calculation and has described the price as falling short of what the law demands.
How the new cocoa price compares
- 2025/26 price: GH¢2,587 per bag (GH¢41,392 per tonne)
- 2026/27 price: GH¢2,650 per bag (GH¢42,400 per tonne)
- Increase: GH¢63 per bag (2.4 percent), or GH¢1,008 per tonne
- NPP’s proposed price: about GH¢2,968 per bag (GH¢47,495 per tonne)
- NPP’s claimed shortfall: about GH¢318 per bag
- NDC campaign promise cited by NPP: GH¢6,000 per bag
NPP recalls GH¢6,000 cocoa price campaign promise
The NPP says leading NDC figures, including now-President John Mahama, Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku and Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, toured cocoa-growing areas during the 2024 campaign and promised farmers GH¢6,000 per bag.
The party says the same officials described the then price of GH¢3,100 per bag as exploitative, and argues the current price falls far below that promise.
Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh also criticised the price on social media, writing: “Cocoa new farm gate price: GH¢2650!!. Now, the ‘scales’ of deception have been removed.”
NPP’s five demands on the cocoa price
- Full public disclosure of how the producer price was computed
- Compliance with the 70 percent requirement under Act 1182
- Refund of amounts withheld from farmers following the February 2026 price cut
- Settlement of outstanding 2025/26 arrears owed to farmers
- A financing guarantee to ensure farmers are paid promptly
What COCOBOD says
COCOBOD Chief Executive Dr Randy Abbey has said the price was set after consultations with stakeholders, including farmers, the Ministry of Finance and Licensed Buying Companies.
The Board says it will continue its productivity support programmes, including free fertiliser, free hybrid cocoa seedlings and disease and pest control. It has also rolled out the Ghana Cocoa Traceability System across all cocoa regions to meet EU Deforestation Regulation rules taking effect on December 30, 2026. See the official COCOBOD producer price statement.
What it means for cocoa farmers
For now, farmers will be paid GH¢2,650 per 64kg bag, the price that took effect on September 25.
If the NPP’s calculation were adopted, a farmer selling 10 bags would earn about GH¢3,180 more across those bags. The government has not indicated any plan to revise the price.
What happens next
The NPP is pressing COCOBOD and the government to publish their full computations and review the price. The dispute is likely to feature in Parliament and in debate around the 2027 budget.
COCOBOD has not publicly responded to the NPP’s specific GH¢2,968 figure as of the time of writing.
Key details at a glance
- Official 2026/27 cocoa price: GH¢2,650 per 64kg bag (GH¢42,400 per tonne)
- Effective date: September 25, 2026
- Increase over 2025/26: GH¢63 per bag (2.4 percent)
- COCOBOD says price equals 71.18 percent of gross FOB
- NPP says lawful price should be about GH¢2,968 per bag
- Legal minimum: 70 percent of gross FOB under Section 57 of Act 1182
- NPP wants full disclosure, arrears paid and a price review
FAQs
What is the cocoa price per bag in Ghana for 2026/27?
The official producer price for the 2026/27 season is GH¢2,650 per 64kg bag, or GH¢42,400 per tonne, effective September 25, 2026.
Why is the NPP challenging the GH¢2,650 cocoa price?
The NPP says the price is below the legal minimum of 70 percent of gross FOB under Act 1182 and calculates that farmers should receive about GH¢2,968 per bag.
How much did the cocoa price increase in 2026?
The price rose by GH¢63 per bag, from GH¢2,587 to GH¢2,650, an increase of about 2.4 percent.
The row over the 2026/27 cocoa price is set to intensify, with the NPP insisting farmers are being shortchanged by about GH¢318 a bag while COCOBOD maintains the GH¢2,650 price meets the 70 percent legal threshold. Farmers will be watching closely to see whether the government opens its figures to scrutiny or revises the price.
