By Ousmane Attai in Abidjan
... How much should farmers be paid per kilogram of cocoa to reflect the lessons of the disastrous 2025–2026 season without further destabilising the sector’s financial balance?
This is far from a theoretical question. It follows an extremely turbulent season marked by difficulties in clearing cocoa stocks, a sharp decline in the guaranteed price during the mid-crop season and, above all, a strong rebound in international cocoa prices.
A Difficult Financial Equation
For the CCC, setting the next farmgate price will not be a simple administrative decision. It will have to take several factors into account, including the prices at which Ivorian cocoa was sold on international markets.
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According to several sources close to the matter, the CCC is believed to have sold a significant portion of the crop at relatively low prices before the latest surge in global cocoa prices.
This could now limit its ability to pass on the full increase in international prices to farmers.
In other words, the cocoa currently available on the market may not have fully benefited from the recent surge in global prices. Some sales were reportedly concluded earlier, leaving the regulator with less room to raise the farmgate price significantly.