Experts discussed the protection of farmers' incomes against the background of falling cocoa prices

During the Fairtrade Africa Change Day and Annual General Assembly events, industry stakeholders raised the issue of protecting farmers from the consequences of falling prices. Recently, the price of cocoa has dropped from over $10,000 per ton at the end of 2024 to approximately $3,400 per ton now. At the same time, production and living costs have not decreased, creating a critical gap for household incomes in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, which account for about two-thirds of global cocoa production.

To assess the situation, Fairtrade International has established living income reference prices for 2026: 45.40 cedis per kilogram in Ghana and 1,758 CFA francs per kilogram in Côte d'Ivoire. These figures take into account yield, farm size, and household needs. Additional support tools include the Fairtrade minimum price and the Fairtrade premium, 40% of which will be paid to farmers in cash starting in October 2026.

However, these mechanisms alone are not enough without commercial commitment to the union from buyers. The sustainability of the supply chain and solving the intergenerational problem of youth leaving the sector depend on the viability of farmers' incomes. In addition, new legal requirements, including the European Union Deforestation Regulation and human rights due diligence standards, require businesses to understand the origin of raw materials. In September, Fairtrade Africa is running a B2B campaign to integrate producers' interests into business strategies in order to build a fairer trading system.