- Cocoa farmers in Ghana anticipate a bumper harvest for the 2025/26 season
- Farmers cite concerns over late input supply and excessive rainfall
- Ghana is expected to fall short of its 2024/25 cocoa output goal
Cocoa farmers in Ghana are anticipating a strong harvest for the 2025/26 season, encouraged by improved flowering and pod development, despite ongoing struggles with input shortages and unpredictable weather.
In recent years, cocoa production in the country has declined due to factors such as crop diseases, climate change, and the spread of illegal gold mining, which destroys farmland and lowers yields. However, farmers are cautiously hopeful that more favorable weather conditions and fewer disease outbreaks this year will lead to a rebound in output.
“Farmers who have committed themselves to their cocoa farms should expect a bumper crop this season,” said Theophilus Tamakloe, a farmer and vice president of a national cocoa farmers’ association. Farming in the Assin North District, Tamakloe reports significant improvements in flowering, pod formation, and plant health compared to the previous season.
He expects to increase his yield from 230 bags last season to 350 bags this year, but warned that challenges remain. “If we don’t get timely fungicides from COCOBOD, and if rains are too heavy, it could affect the harvest,” he cautioned.
Salomey Saah, a farmer from the Tano District, also expressed optimism, saying she has taken a more business-like approach this year. “I’m aiming for 2,000 bags, up from 1,000 last season,” she told Reuters. Still, she emphasized the need for adequate pesticide supply, noting that pests could wipe out crops in just days if not managed.
Kwame Alex, Ghana’s 2024 National Best Cocoa Farmer, produced over 2,000 bags last season and is now targeting 3,000 bags for the 2025/26 season.
Meanwhile, COCOBOD, the industry regulator, has not yet issued a production target for the new season, which officially begins in August. The agency has also not responded to recent requests for comment.
According to data released by COCOBOD in May, Ghana is expected to miss its target of 650,000 metric tons for the current 2024/25 season, with output projected to fall to 590,000 tons—one of the lowest in recent history.
Both Ghana and Ivory Coast, which together produce more than 60% of the world’s cocoa, are battling their worst harvest levels in decades.
