Ecuador set to overtake Ghana as world’s second-largest cocoa producer by 2026/27

Ecuador is on track to produce more than 650,000 metric tons of cocoa in the 2026/27 season and could surpass Ghana as the world’s second-largest producer, according to the country’s cocoa exporters association.

Ivan Ontaneda, chairman of Anecacao, told Reuters that soaring global cocoa prices have spurred farmers to invest more in their plots, supported by both the public and private sectors, leading to improved yields.

Cocoa prices more than doubled in 2024, hitting record highs above $12,000 a ton after failed harvests and disease in the Ivory Coast and Ghana, which together supply about half of the world’s cocoa. Prices have since fallen by about a third but remain historically elevated.

Farmers in Ecuador currently receive around 90% of the world market price for cocoa, compared with about 60–70% in the Ivory Coast and Ghana. “Ecuador’s production has shown steady growth (for) years. Ghana’s production has been volatile,” Ontaneda said.

A Reuters poll earlier this month forecast that Ghana will produce just 600,000 tons of cocoa in 2025/26, as the country struggles with illegal gold mining on cocoa farms and the spread of swollen shoot disease.

Ecuador produced more than 570,000 tons in the 2025/26 season and is expected to reach 800,000 tons by the end of the decade. Current yields in Ecuador average 800 kg per hectare, compared with just under 500 kg per hectare in West African producers.

Unlike the monoculture systems common in West Africa, cocoa in Ecuador is cultivated in agroforestry systems, with crops grown alongside shade trees, plantains, coffee, and fruit trees. These methods help preserve biodiversity and limit the spread of crop disease.