Ivory Coast’s Coffee and Cocoa Council announced plans to purchase 100,000 metric tons of surplus cocoa, Agriculture Minister Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani told Reuters. President Alassane Ouattara raised the fixed farmgate price for the 2025/26 main cocoa crop to a record 2,800 CFA francs per kilogram in October.
Higher domestic prices have kept cocoa from being exported to neighbouring Liberia and Ghana, while some regional production has flowed into Ivory Coast, Adjoumani said. “We have approximately 123,000 tons of cocoa in stock with the producers, but I think we will need to purchase around 100,000 tons soon,” he said.
The government plans to strengthen border controls to prevent further cocoa influx from Ghana, Liberia, and Guinea, the minister added during a press conference. “Our objective is to protect producers’ income and the country’s social stability, and the government is mobilised to resolve this issue,” Adjoumani said.
He noted the new purchasing programme will cover only the main crop season, aiming to stabilise the domestic market and support farmers. The initiative reflects Ivory Coast’s efforts to maintain its position as the world’s top cocoa producer while balancing regional trade dynamics.