Ghana’s cocoa growers are feeling positive about the 2025/26 harvest. They’ve seen more flowers and pods growing, suggesting the crop could be much stronger this time around—even though they still face problems with weather and getting enough farm supplies.
In past years, production dropped because of climate change, crop diseases, and illegal gold mining that damaged farms. But this season, farmers are noticing healthier trees and fewer signs of disease.
- Theophilus Tamakloe, vice president of a national farmers’ group in Assin North, expects his output to rise from 230 to 350 bags. He warns that too much rain or a delay in getting fungicides from COCOBOD could hurt the crop.
- Salomey Saah, from the Tano district, says she now treats her cocoa farm as a business. She hopes to double her yield from 1,000 to 2,000 bags—but she’s worried that pests could damage the harvest if there’s no access to pesticides .
- Kwame Alex, crowned Ghana’s Best Cocoa Farmer in 2024, produced more than 2,000 bags last season and is now aiming for 3,000.
COCOBOD hasn’t yet shared its target for the new season, which officially begins in August. The board lowered its 2024/25 production goal from 650,000 to 590,000 tons after struggling with low yields.
Ghana and Ivory Coast together make over 60% of the world’s cocoa. Both countries have recently experienced their worst harvests in decades . Still, with plants looking healthier and more buds forming, farmers are cautiously excited about a strong rebound in 2025/26.
