Cocoa farmers across Ghana are anticipating a strong harvest for the 2025/26 season, driven by improved flowering and pod development, despite ongoing challenges with farming inputs and unpredictable weather conditions.
In recent seasons, Ghana’s cocoa output has declined due to issues including plant diseases, climate change, and the destructive impact of illegal gold mining on cocoa plantations.
This time, however, farmers are cautiously confident that a combination of better weather and fewer disease outbreaks could help lift production levels.
“Farmers who have dedicated time to their cocoa farms will definitely see a bumper harvest this season,” said Theophilus Tamakloe, cocoa farmer and vice president of a national farmers’ association. “We are witnessing significant improvement compared to last year in terms of flowers, pods, and leaf health,” Tamakloe, who farms in Assin North, said.
Tamakloe expects to boost his harvest from 230 bags last season to 350 this time around. However, he warned that prolonged rainfall and delays in the supply of fungicides from COCOBOD could still affect the yield.
Echoing his outlook, cocoa farmer Salomey Saah from Tano district said, “This year, I approached my cocoa farm as a business, and I have seen tremendous improvement. I’m targeting about 2,000 bags, up from the 1,000 bags I harvested in the 2024/2025 season.” But she also expressed concern, noting that “without pesticides, insects could destroy all the crops just within three days.”
Kwame Alex, the 2024 National Best Cocoa Farmer, also has his sights set high after producing over 2,000 bags last season. He aims to reach 3,000 bags in the upcoming harvest.
While COCOBOD has yet to announce an official production target for the new season beginning in August, it has remained silent on calls for comment. The regulator’s data in May projected cocoa output for the 2024/2025 season at 590,000 metric tons, well short of the 650,000-ton target.
Both Ghana and neighbouring Ivory Coast, which collectively produce over 60% of the world’s cocoa, are facing their most difficult harvest seasons in decades.
