The government has announced plans to introduce a new Cocoa Board Bill to Parliament aimed at stabilizing cocoa prices, ensuring fair compensation for farmers, and safeguarding the financial sustainability of the sector.
Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, speaking at a press conference on Thursday, February 12, 2026, said the Bill will implement an automatic adjustment of the producer price to reflect fluctuations in world market prices, exchange rates, and other key variables.
“A new Cocoa Board Bill will be presented to Parliament to implement an automatic adjustment of producer price to align with movement in the world market price, exchange rate and other key variables and guarantees a minimum of 70 percent of gross FOB price to be paid to the cocoa farmer,” he said.
The Bill is part of broader reforms to transform the cocoa sector, including a new financing model that will allow Cocoa Board to utilize domestic cocoa bonds for purchases and revitalize indigenous licensed buying companies.
Dr. Forson explained that the reforms will also prioritize local processing, noting, “Cabinet has also directed that with immediate effect, the remainder of the beans for the crop year 2025-2026 should be allocated for domestic processing. Cabinet has also directed that beginning from 2026 to 2027 crop season, a minimum of 50% of all cocoa beans should be processed locally.”
The Finance Minister emphasized that the legislation, combined with other reforms, will strengthen the financial position of Cocoa Board, protect the interests of cocoa farmers, and promote long-term sustainability and value addition in the sector.
