Inclement weather, farmland destruction to hit Ghana cocoa yields next season

ACCRA: Ghana’s cocoa yields are expected to fall in the 2026/27 season as inclement weather, illegal mining and the expansion of rubber plantations reduce pod counts across growing regions, farmers said.

Some regions have been more impacted by the weather than others. In Ghana’s Western and Western North regions, which produce more than half of the country’s annual output, persistent rains have left trees with fewer pods than in previous seasons, farmers said. In the Central and Eastern regions, where pods are still developing from flowers, farmers said pod counts remained strong.

Kwame Alex, one of Ghana’s largest growers, said heavy rain had left farms in the Western and Western North regions in poor condition. He expected his harvest to drop from 35 bags to 10 bags in the next season. “I did everything required to maintain the farm, but the weather worked against us,” Alex said.

An official at one of Ghana’s licensed buying companies said on condition of anonymity that a significant decline was likely. The Concerned Farmers Association, which advocates for the welfare of farmers, also said a drop was expected. Farmers all report heavier rains than usual linked to a strengthening El Nino weather pattern.

The wet conditions fuel black pod disease, a fungal infection that can sharply reduce yields. Pod counters in Ivory Coast also expect output to fall by more than 10percent in the 2026/27 season. Similar weather conditions in Ghana and Ivory Coast during the 2023/24 El Niño contributed to a tripling of global cocoa prices.

Farmland cleared for mining, rubber

Harvests are also falling because farmland is being cleared to make way for mining and rubber plantations, permanently removing trees from production. Nana Oboadie Boateng Bonsu, president of the Concerned Farmers Association, said illegal clearing continues because punishments are too light. COCOBOD, the regulator, is pushing for new legislation to protect farmers, including stricter punishment for clearing farms, a requirement to replant three acres for every acre destroyed and higher compensation for impacted farmers.