Market News
Ghana and Ivory Coast agree to start 2026/27 cocoa season on September 1 - REUTERS
ABIDJAN (Reuters) – Ghana and Ivory Coast have agreed to start the 2026/27 cocoa season on September 1 and end it on August 31, Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama said on Tuesday.
The two African countries, which together account for about 60% of global output, had been working closely to align prices they pay farmers for cocoa beans.
After a meeting with Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara in the capital Abidjan, Mahama said they would harmonize guaranteed minimum farmgate prices that are usually announced at the start of the marketing season.
“We are partners, not adversaries or competitors, in the cocoa sector. This collaboration must be strengthened and allow us to make our producers happy,” Mahama told media.
Earlier this year, Ivory Coast, the world’s biggest producer, moved the start of the mid-crop to March 1 from April 1 in hopes of boosting sales of the stocks left from the main crop.
