The Managing Director of Cocoa Marketing Company (Ghana) Limited (CMC), Wisdom Kofi Dogbey, has called on players in the global cocoa and chocolate industry to ensure that cocoa farmers receive a fairer share of the value generated along the international supply chain.
Speaking at the 4th CAA International Cocoa Conference 2026 in Singapore, Mr Dogbey warned that Ghana and other cocoa-producing countries would struggle to sustainably restore production if farmers continued to face economic hardship despite being at the centre of the industry.
He said discussions about the future of cocoa supply should go beyond global prices, trading strategies and sourcing diversification to include whether farmers have enough financial incentive to maintain, rehabilitate and replant their farms.
According to him, the income of cocoa farmers should be viewed as a critical factor in securing future cocoa supplies rather than simply as a social welfare concern.
He noted that despite farmers carrying out the most difficult part of the production process, they receive less than 10% of the huge profits generated across the international cocoa value chain.
“Put the money back into the farm,” Wisdom Dogbey told participants, adding, “Our adversary in this cycle is volatility, not each other.”
He further disclosed that the government of President John Mahama has translated its policy of ensuring Ghanaian cocoa farmers receive 70% of the world market price into law through the Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 2026.
While describing the legislation as significant protection for farmers, he urged international buyers of Ghanaian cocoa to pay decent prices that would provide farmers with adequate returns for their work.
Farmer Income Key to Cocoa Recovery
Mr Dogbey stressed that Ghana’s cocoa production challenges could not be permanently resolved unless farming became economically attractive enough for producers to invest in their farms.
The sector continues to face several difficulties, including Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease, ageing trees, excessive rainfall, changing weather conditions, illegal mining activities and declining productivity.
He said the situation was particularly challenging in areas affected by swollen shoot disease, where farmers may be required to remove infected trees and wait several years before newly planted trees begin producing.
This, he explained, makes the expected future income from cocoa an important determinant of whether farmers will be willing to rehabilitate or replant their farms.
“The replanting rate is set by what the farmer expects to earn when the new tree bears, not by what the extension service recommends,” he said.
“Farms go unreplanted when the return does not justify replanting. That is not a Ghanaian failing; it is arithmetic.”
Mr Dogbey argued that farmers make long-term investment decisions based not only on agricultural advice but also on the financial returns they expect from their farms.
He said a farmer who is asked to destroy an infected farm and wait several years for new trees to mature must have confidence that cocoa will provide a worthwhile income in the future.
He therefore maintained that improving farmer incomes was directly linked to Ghana’s ability to rebuild its cocoa production, while also serving the interests of the international cocoa industry.
When farmers postpone rehabilitation and replanting, he said, production capacity declines, resulting in tighter supplies, greater price volatility and eventual consequences for traders, processors, manufacturers, retailers and consumers.
Ghana’s New Cocoa Law
Mr Dogbey also highlighted the Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 2026, which was assented to on August 26, 2026.
The legislation provides statutory backing for a number of measures aimed at supporting cocoa farmers and developing the sector. These include a minimum farmer share of FOB value, the Cocoa Farmers Pension Scheme, an educational trust for farmers’ children, protection of cocoa farmland and initiatives to increase domestic cocoa processing.
Under the law, cocoa farmers are guaranteed a minimum of 70% of the FOB value, establishing a statutory floor for the share of export value that should reach producers.
He described the legislation as an important step towards strengthening the institutional protection of cocoa farmers.
“That is the transmission question answered in statute rather than in communiqués,” he said.
The CMC boss also called for existing mechanisms designed to improve farmer incomes to be implemented more effectively.
He cited the Living Income Differential, introduced by Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire to improve cocoa producer incomes, and argued that measures established specifically to support farmers should not be undermined by other commercial pricing arrangements.
“I am not asking for a new instrument. I am asking that the one already agreed be allowed to work,” Dogbey said.
He maintained that if the industry accepts that cocoa farmers deserve a living income, commercial practices across the entire value chain must ensure that the intended benefits actually reach producers.
Sustainability Costs Must Be Shared
Mr Dogbey also raised concerns about the growing financial burden associated with international sustainability and traceability requirements.
Ghana has invested heavily in farm mapping, geolocation, farmer registration and other traceability systems to comply with evolving international due-diligence standards.
While reaffirming Ghana’s commitment to responsible cocoa production, he said producing countries and farmers should not be left to shoulder the full cost of compliance requirements that benefit the entire cocoa value chain.
“If compliance is worth having, it is worth paying for,” he told the conference.
He argued that environmental sustainability would be difficult to achieve without economic sustainability at the farm level.
According to him, farmers and producing countries should not indefinitely bear the cost of regulatory and environmental requirements whose benefits extend to international traders, processors, manufacturers and retailers.
‘Invest at Origin, Not Only Source From It’
Mr Dogbey further urged international cocoa companies to move beyond simply sourcing cocoa from producing countries and instead invest in strengthening the productive capacity of those countries.
He said sourcing cocoa from multiple countries may help companies spread their risks but would not solve production challenges in areas where farms are already under pressure.
“Diversification redistributes exposure. It does not create supply where the supply is at risk,” he said.
Ghana’s cocoa recovery strategy includes the rehabilitation of diseased farms, improved access to inputs and finance, new planting initiatives and opportunities for irrigated cocoa production.
Mr Dogbey stressed that recovery would take time because cocoa trees require several years before reaching productive maturity.
He therefore urged international grinders, investors and equipment suppliers to support investments at the production level.
“Invest at origin, not only source from it,” he said.
The CMC Managing Director emphasised that Ghana’s position should not be viewed as a confrontation between cocoa-producing and consuming countries.
Instead, he called for stronger collaboration among governments, farmers, traders, processors, manufacturers, investors and retailers.
He noted that the interests of all participants in the cocoa value chain are interconnected, as manufacturers need reliable supplies, traders require predictable production, governments depend on viable rural economies, and consumers need affordable cocoa products.
Ultimately, he said, all these interests depend on farmers having the willingness and financial capacity to continue investing in cocoa production.
He stressed that a healthy cocoa economy must create room for every participant in the value chain to prosper, but that prosperity could not be sustained if farmers continued to be left behind.
For Ghana and the global cocoa industry, he said, the key question is no longer simply whether cocoa production can recover from current market pressures, but whether the economic foundation of cocoa farming will be strong enough to sustain that recovery.
“The future of cocoa will ultimately be determined on the farm,” Mr Dogbey said.
“There can be no sustainable global cocoa value chain without an economically sustainable cocoa farmer.”
By: Prince Martey-Sogar