Ivory Coast government confirms major 60% cocoa farmer pay cut following global pricing fall

Government-backed cocoa authorities in Ivory Coast have pressed ahead with anticipated cuts – which have been confirmed as a 60% drop in farmer pay following a notable fall in crop prices on international commodities markets, writes Neill Barston.

The key producing nation had been widely anticipated to reduce ‘farm gate’ values paid directly to farmers in light of tumbling prices on New York and London futures markets, which fell rapidly from over $12,000 a tonne at the start of 2025, to around $3,000 in the past six weeks.

Neighbouring Ghana was first to reduce its pay to farmers – last month confirming pay would be reduced by 30% to farmers, with no confirmation as to whether contracts at previous higher rates would now be honoured by the country’s controlling Cocobod government-backed organisation, leaving farming organisations expressing considerable concern. 

Consequently, market observers had anticipated that cocoa markets would be cut back pay levels by a similar amount of around a third – but in an alarming move, the Ivory Coast government and its industry body, the  Conseil du Cafe- Cacao organisation, declared that farm gate prices would in fact be dramatically dropped by 60%.

The major move unravels the notable pay increases that farmers had lobbied for years to attain and had finally been awarded last year by that amount – leaving agricultural workers on rates of pay that are notably below World Bank and UN defined levels of poverty, deepening the sector crisis.

Significantly, planned appearances by senior members of Ghana and Ivory Coast’s cocoa leadership at the World Cocoa Foundation Partnership meeting in Amsterdam last month were cancelled at a late stage in light of the ongoing major challenges for the sector in the region – which include handling disease impacted cocoa crops, which as stated at the Netherlands meeting, are believed to have impacted 40% of existing plantations in Ivory Coast alone.

Government response

However, in announcing its policy earlier this month, Bruno Nabagné Kone, Ivory Coast’s Minister of Agriculture, in a regional news release, asserted that the government had been fair towards farmers during the established system of payments.

He noted that climate change had impacted crops, which would bring forward early harvests within the region, and also confirmed the considerable price drop being paid to agricultural workers in light of wider market falls.

Kone said: “The will of President of the Republic, SEM Alassane Ouattara, to award at least 60% of the CAF prize to producers, from 2012 to 2025, has always been respected.

“Thus, the fieldside price, which was 700 F CFA/kg in 2012, has gone through different levels to reach 1000 F CFA/ kg in 2015, to 1500 F CFA/KG in 2023 to a record price in 2025-2026 of 2800 F CFA/ kg. This remarkable evolution in the guaranteed field price demonstrates that the government has always given the best prices to producers, and this despite fluctuations in the price of cocoa in the international market,” the Minister stated.

He added: “Since the beginning of this campaign, especially since December 2025, we have all seen a drop in the price of cocoa on the international market,” noting that prices on wider commercial markets had dramatically fallen by 70%, though more than one million five hundred thousand tons of cocoa has been effectively paid at the price of 2800 F CFA per kilo to Ivorian producers. 

He stated that the president was concerned for the wellbeing of the region’s people, which is why it had moved to confirm a fresh price, albeit at a notably reduced level. In addition, he added that the the council would play its part in devising stabilisation methods.

Furthermore, the council noted that Kone Brahima Yves, General Manager of the Coffee-Cacao Council, stated that from this September, all purchasing operations for cocoa would have to be through official purchasers maps to ensure agricultural workers receive accurate pay.