Cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire: Price of CFA 1,200/kg Confirms the Sector’s Downturn

The minimum guaranteed producer price stands at CFA 1,200 per kilogram for the 2026–2027 main crop season. Compared with the CFA 2,800 announced at the start of the previous season, this level illustrates the sharp deterioration in market conditions.

Côte d’Ivoire’s 2026–2027 main cocoa crop season is proceeding with a minimum guaranteed farmgate price of CFA 1,200 per kilogram. This price was announced on September 1, 2026, by Bruno Nabagné Koné, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Food Crop Production. The government attributes the decision to extreme instability in international markets.

To understand the scale of the change, it is worth looking back at the start of the 2025–2026 season. On October 1, 2025, the farmgate price was set at CFA 2,800/kg. Between the opening announcements for these two main crop seasons, the difference therefore amounts to CFA 1,600 per kilogram—a decline of approximately 57%.

A Price Cut Already Introduced During the Mid-Crop Season

However, the CFA 1,200/kg price is not new to this cocoa season. It had already been introduced on March 4, 2026, for the 2025–2026 mid-crop season. The new main crop season therefore maintains that level rather than introducing a further reduction from the immediately preceding price. This distinction is essential to understanding the sequence of decisions.

Nevertheless, the contrast with the price announced in autumn 2025 remains considerable. For the same quantity of cocoa sold at the guaranteed price, gross proceeds are substantially lower than at the start of the previous main crop season. This comparison concerns the selling price, not farms’ net income, which also depends on harvest volumes and production costs.

Climate Conditions Add Further Uncertainty

Alongside price volatility, concerns about production persist. In a programme published on October 29, RFI highlighted the risks associated with El Niño, as well as plantations’ vulnerability to adverse weather and disease. The loss estimates discussed cover several producing regions in West Africa and South America; they should not be presented as a forecast specific to Côte d’Ivoire.

For Côte d’Ivoire’s cocoa sector, the 2026–2027 season therefore brings together two concerns: a guaranteed price far below the level announced at the start of the previous season, and continuing uncertainty over production conditions.