World market, futures, and West Africa farmgate prices, tracked by Region Alert
This page tracks the price of cocoa beans on the world market and what farmers are actually paid at the farm gate in Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Cameroon. The two numbers are not the same, and the gap between them is where most cocoa supply risk hides. Region Alert monitors the cocoa belt daily through local sources in the languages the news breaks in first.
Cocoa Prices at a Glance
| Measure | Price | As Of | Set By |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICCO Daily Composite (world reference) | $5,996.85 / tonne | Jul 15, 2026 settle | ICCO (London + NY futures) |
| World price per kilogram | about $6.00 / kg | Jul 15, 2026 | derived from composite |
| World price per pound | about $2.72 / lb | Jul 15, 2026 | derived from composite |
| Ivory Coast farmgate (official mid-crop) | 1,500 FCFA / kg | 2026 mid-crop | Conseil du Cafe-Cacao |
| Ivory Coast farmgate (verified street price) | 1,450 FCFA / kg client data, request free report | Jul 2026, Soubre | Region Alert field reporting |
| Ghana producer price | GHS 41,392 / tonne (GHS 2,587 per 64 kg bag) | 2025/26 season | COCOBOD / PPRC |
| Cameroon farmgate (market-driven) | 2,500-2,600 FCFA / kg | Jul 7, 2026 season high | open market |
World reference: International Cocoa Organization daily composite of the three nearest London and New York futures contracts. Farmgate figures: official announcements plus Region Alert ground reporting from the West African cocoa belt. Figures reflect the most recent verified session and are updated as new data is confirmed.
There is no single price for cocoa beans. There are three layers, and they can move in different directions at the same time.
The futures price is what traders pay on the ICE exchanges in New York and London for cocoa delivered months from now. It is the number you see in financial news. The ICCO Daily Composite, published by the International Cocoa Organization, averages the three nearest futures contracts on both exchanges into one world reference. On July 15, 2026 it settled at $5,996.85 per tonne, about $6.00 per kilo.
The farmgate price is what a farmer receives for a bag of beans at the farm. In Ivory Coast and Ghana the government fixes it for each season. In Cameroon the market sets it, which is why Cameroonian farmers saw 2,500 to 2,600 FCFA per kilogram in early July while their Ivorian neighbors were fixed at 1,500. When the fixed price sits far below the world price, beans start moving across borders in the night. That is not a theory, it is a documented smuggling pattern that Region Alert tracks week to week.
The street price is what buyers actually pay, and it is the layer almost nobody publishes. In July 2026, Region Alert field reporting documented buyers in the Soubre region of Ivory Coast paying below the official floor. Farmers call the official price a promise. The street price is the reality. The verified figures go to Region Alert clients in the daily brief, and we will share a one-time field report free if you ask for one.
Cocoa is still trading near triple its long-run average because West Africa, which grows roughly 70 percent of the world's cocoa, keeps producing less than the world wants to eat. The current drivers, from Region Alert's daily coverage of the cocoa belt:
Crop disease and rain. Ivory Coast's 2026/27 main crop is forecast to contract by more than 10 percent, driven by excessive rainfall, poor crop management, and rising disease pressure. Wet beans and mold are already showing up at the farm gate.
Illegal gold mining. In Ghana, senior COCOBOD officials warned in July 2026 that galamsey, the local term for illegal gold mining, has already destroyed more than 100,000 acres of cocoa farms and could threaten the survival of the industry. Farmers are leaving cocoa for gold. Read the full story in our galamsey and cocoa analysis.
Producer governments are organizing. In June 2026 the presidents of Ivory Coast and Ghana agreed to harmonize farmgate pricing, and a four-nation group (Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon) has proposed suspending raw cocoa exports to force local processing. If either move is implemented, it changes the supply math for every buyer.
Payment stress. Ghana's COCOBOD has struggled with liquidity to clear arrears owed to farmers.. Late payment pushes farmers toward smugglers and toward gold, which feeds back into the supply problem.
West Africa main crop: October through March. This is the big harvest, and it sets the tone for world prices each year. Mid-crop: April through September, smaller and lower quality on average. Ivory Coast announces a separate official farmgate price for each. Ghana runs one fixed producer price for the season. Cameroon's harvest peaks from October to February, with prices floating on the open market all year.
What is the price of cocoa today?
The ICCO Daily Composite settled at $5,996.85 per tonne on July 15, 2026, or about $6.00 per kilogram. Farmgate prices are lower: 1,500 FCFA/kg official in Ivory Coast and GHS 41,392 per tonne in Ghana. This page is maintained by Region Alert and updated as new sessions are verified.
Looking for the cocoa price as at today in Ghana?
Ghana's COCOBOD fixed producer price is GHS 41,392 per tonne, which comes to GHS 2,587 for a standard 64 kg bag. That figure is set for the season, so it does not move daily the way futures do. What does move is the world price above it and the cedi, which affect what the next season's price can be.
What is the cocoa spot price versus the futures price?
The futures price is for delivery months ahead on the ICE exchanges. Spot (physical) cocoa trades against those futures with a premium or discount called the differential, which shifts with quality, origin, and availability. The ICCO composite is the cleanest single reference for the world price level.
Why is there a gap between the official farmgate price and what farmers get?
Enforcement is thin in remote buying areas. When buyers face their own margin pressure, some pay under the official floor. Region Alert documented buyers in Soubre, Ivory Coast paying under the official 1,500 FCFA/kg floor in July 2026. That kind of gap drives side-selling, smuggling, and farmer exits from cocoa, all of which show up later as supply shortfalls. The verified street figures are part of the client brief.
Will cocoa prices go down in 2026?
Prices have eased from the early-July peak of $6,127 per tonne, but the structural deficit has not closed. A weaker main crop forecast in Ivory Coast, mining losses in Ghana, and possible export coordination all argue against a fast return to old price levels. Watch the farmgate announcements in September and October, they are the next big catalyst.
Region Alert delivers a daily cocoa brief from the ground in Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Cameroon: farmgate checks, port status, road disruptions, and the local-language reporting that reaches the wire days late, if at all.
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