Ghana’s Unpaid Cocoa Farmers Are Forced to Go Hungry
•February 12, 2026
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Why It Matters
Unpaid cocoa deliveries threaten the livelihoods of nearly 400,000 Ghanaian farmers and risk destabilising the world’s second‑largest cocoa supply, which could ripple through global chocolate markets.
Key Takeaways
- •Ghana regulators owe farmers for 50,000 tons cocoa
- •International cocoa price halved to $4,000 per ton
- •Unpaid beans force farmers to skip meals
- •Licensed buyers closed shops, limiting market access
- •Farmers propose price link to global market
Pulse Analysis
The global cocoa market has entered a steep downturn, with the benchmark price falling from over $8,000 to roughly $4,000 per metric ton within a year. Ghana, the world’s second‑largest cocoa producer, feels the shock acutely because farm‑gate prices are set annually by Cocobod and have remained near 58,000 cedis per ton despite the price collapse. As international traders lose money on Ghanaian beans, they have reduced purchases, leaving thousands of tons of cocoa beans stranded at ports and on smallholder farms, directly threatening household incomes.
Cocobod now reports about 50,000 metric tons of unsold cocoa sitting at Ghanaian ports, while licensed buying companies have shut their local offices, cutting off the only legal sales channel for farmers. Without access to buyers, producers like Joseph Dautey and Jacob Tetteh cannot convert their harvest into cash, forcing them to cut meals and defer school fees. The backlog also creates a storage dilemma; cocoa degrades after 6‑12 months in the tropical climate, risking further quality loss and financial loss for already cash‑strapped growers.
Stakeholders are now negotiating a relief package that could link farm‑gate rates to international cocoa prices, a move farmers say would prevent future payment gaps. The Ghanaian Cocoa Farmers Association insists the government first settle existing arrears before any price adjustment, while licensed buyers are urging an urgent infusion of funding to clear roughly 300,000 tons of pending deliveries. If resolved, the sector could stabilize, preserving Ghana’s export revenue and protecting the livelihoods of nearly 400,000 smallholder families that underpin the global chocolate supply chain.
Ghana’s unpaid cocoa farmers are forced to go hungry
Joseph Bermah Dautey, a Ghanaian cocoa farmer, delivered six bags of beans to be sold months ago, but is still waiting for payment from the country’s regulator, forcing the 65‑year‑old to limit his meals to one a day.
He is among thousands of farmers in Ghana, the world’s second‑biggest cocoa producer, struggling to find money to buy food, pay for their children’s school fees and invest in basic farm maintenance as thousands of tons of unsold beans have piled up.
The situation is comparable to Ivory Coast, the biggest producer, as global cocoa demand has fallen sharply, leading global prices to halve over the course of a year to two‑year lows of around $4,000 (R63,597) a metric ton. Before that, a poor crop had led to a price spike on international markets.
Dautey, who previously worked as a teacher, told Reuters he was unable to pay for his older daughter’s tuition and that his younger daughter keeps calling him asking for money. To maintain a 25‑acre farm in Assin Foso, a major cocoa‑growing district, he spent 3,600 cedis (R5,223) using borrowed funds and still owes 2,000 cedis (R2,894).
“For about three weeks now, I eat once a day. Things are very difficult for me,” Dautey said. “It has affected my life so much that I cannot even describe it.”
Another farmer, Jacob Agbeko Tetteh, told Reuters his children could not return to university because he has also not been paid for six bags of cocoa he delivered. He lacks funds to replace ageing cocoa trees, whose yield has declined.
Taking a hit
Ghana’s farm‑gate price, set annually by market regulator Cocobod, is 58,000 cedis a ton or nearly R84,000, meaning international traders face losses on Ghanaian cocoa purchases. Their purchases have dwindled as a result, leaving farmers unpaid.
The regulator said last week it has about 50,000 metric tons of unsold cocoa at ports, adding that it is in talks with farmers and the Finance Ministry to try to resolve the situation.
Farmers told Reuters they have significant unsold stocks of beans at home but no access to buyers after the district officers of the Licensed Buying Companies, the only companies authorised to buy from the farmers, closed their shops. Cocoa can be stored for only 6‑12 months before losing quality in hot, humid countries.
Strategic planning
The licensed buyers urged the regulator Cocobod last week to secure funding urgently to pay for approximately 300,000 tons of cocoa.
A coalition of Ghanaian cocoa farmers said it was willing to accept lower prices for future deliveries if the government agrees to sign a memorandum of understanding linking farm‑gate rates to international market prices going forward.
However, the Ghana Cooperative Cocoa Farmers and Marketing Association, which represents about 395,000 members, said the government must first pay what it owes for beans already delivered at the official price.
“What they have already bought and not paid for, they should find a way to pay that immediately,” Theophilus Tamakloe, the association’s national vice‑president, told Reuters.
“After that, they can meet with us to discuss a possible reduction of the farm‑gate price.”
Tetteh said he would accept a government price reduction if it enables the regulator to purchase remaining stocks and pay for beans already delivered.
“It’s business, so if prices go up on the international market, farm‑gate prices should also go up. If they come down, the farm‑gate price must come down too,” said the farmer, who is still drying fresh cocoa with nowhere to sell it.
Reuters
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