New cocoa agreement puts farmer pay and sustainability together
The 2026 agreement took effect in October after producers and consumers negotiated a replacement.
A new International Cocoa Agreement took effect on October 1, the International Cocoa Organization announced. It is the eighth agreement in a series negotiated under United Nations auspices since the organization was created in 1973.
Four signatories represented at a September meeting in Abidjan joined the decision, with Nicaragua participating remotely after ratifying the text. The new agreement follows a period in which production declines in major growing countries helped drive cocoa prices above $10,000 a tonne.
The organization says the text links sustainability more directly with fair remuneration for producers. That puts the income of growers alongside long-term questions about the industry's supply.
