ABIDJAN, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Cote d'Ivoire plans to expand local cocoa processing to capture more value from the sector as farmgate prices fall sharply, authorities said Tuesday.

Cocoa pods and cocoa beans are displayed at an exhibition booth of the 10th National Cocoa and Chocolate Days in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, on Sept. 1, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)

Cote d'Ivoire expects its installed cocoa processing capacity to increase from the current 1.155 million tonnes to 1.344 million tonnes during the 2026-2027 season, following the commissioning of new industrial processing plants, said Yves Brahima Kone, director general of the Coffee and Cocoa Board, at the opening of the 10th edition of the National Cocoa and Chocolate Days in Abidjan.

The increase in capacity is part of the efforts to develop local processing, increase the added-value generated in the country, and strengthen the competitiveness of the cocoa sector.

Cote d'Ivoire processed 650,000 tonnes of cocoa during the 2025-2026 season, representing a processing rate of around 30 percent, Kone said.

Kone also stressed the need to increase investment in research to develop high-yielding seeds, disease- and drought-resistant plants, as well as solutions to promote the mechanization of agricultural operations and improve the phytosanitary protection of cocoa plantations.

The push to expand processing comes as cocoa farmers face a sharp drop in farmgate prices.

Cote d'Ivoire has maintained the minimum guaranteed farmgate price of cocoa at 1,200 CFA francs (about 2.13 U.S. dollars) per kilogram for the 2026-2027 season, announced Ivorian Agriculture Minister Bruno Nabagne Kone at the event.

The price is down from 2,800 CFA francs (about 4.95 dollars) per kilogram for the 2025-2026 season, a decline attributed to a sharp drop in international cocoa prices.

The Ivorian government has reorganized the cocoa marketing calendar in February, which is expected to facilitate the resumption of bean purchases by multinational companies and local exporters and improve the marketing conditions for cocoa production.

Cote d'Ivoire is the world's leading cocoa producer and is among the major cocoa bean processing countries.

The country has for several years sought to increase the share of its cocoa production processed locally, notably through the establishment of new industrial processing plants.