AgriAuditor Research, August 2026
Ghana coconut production and economics
A dated evidence report for one specific question: what do the national production series and Ghana's agricultural census actually say about coconut output, sales and published production costs?
Looking for dried coconut production in Ghana? Start with what this report measures: the national series counts coconuts in shell, and dried coconut, copra and oil are not the same quantity.
What this report measures
In-shell coconut is not dried coconut
The main series uses the FAOSTAT item Coconuts, in shell. It does not measure dried coconut, copra, coconut oil, coir or other processed products. That distinction matters because processing creates different quantities, prices, quality grades and market channels.
How to use the page
Read the FAOSTAT series for national output context. Read the Ghana Census section for the historical production, sales and cost snapshot. Then verify your own land, trees, labour, water, disease exposure and buyer before treating any number as relevant to a farm.
Snapshot control: Data retrieved 9 August 2026. Refresh owner: AgriAuditor Research. Review after each annual FAOSTAT production release and when Ghana Statistical Service revises the published tables.
Review status: Source and calculation checks completed; qualified agronomic review remains required before publication.
What Ghana's production series shows
The 2024 national snapshot
FAOSTAT reports 544,774 tonnes from 76,051 hectares, equal to 7.16 tonnes per hectare. These are national aggregates, not a field-level benchmark.
Production
544,774 t
Area harvested
76,051 ha
Reported yield
7.16 t/ha
Reported change from 2010 to 2024
The reported series increased by +86.6% in production, +38.3% in harvested area and +34.9% in yield. Because the series includes official, estimated, imputed and external-organization flags, treat this as change in the published series, not a causal explanation of farm performance.
| Year | Production (t) | Area (ha) | Yield (t/ha) | Data flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 292,000 | 55,000 | 5.31 | P X, area X, yield X |
| 2011 | 344,000 | 64,204 | 5.36 | P A, area I, yield E |
| 2012 | 345,000 | 64,291 | 5.37 | P A, area I, yield E |
| 2013 | 366,183 | 67,747 | 5.41 | P A, area I, yield E |
| 2014 | 380,380 | 70,480 | 5.4 | P A, area I, yield E |
| 2015 | 380,380 | 71,056 | 5.35 | P A, area I, yield E |
| 2016 | 456,000 | 71,553 | 6.37 | P X, area I, yield E |
| 2017 | 460,800 | 87,335 | 5.28 | P X, area I, yield E |
| 2018 | 474,000 | 83,742 | 5.66 | P X, area I, yield E |
| 2019 | 484,800 | 80,438 | 6.03 | P X, area I, yield E |
| 2020 | 494,400 | 77,000 | 6.42 | P X, area X, yield X |
| 2021 | 494,000 | 77,000 | 6.42 | P X, area X, yield X |
| 2022 | 505,400 | 78,000 | 6.48 | P X, area X, yield X |
| 2023 | 531,775 | 77,000 | 6.91 | P X, area X, yield X |
| 2024 | 544,774 | 76,051 | 7.16 | P I, area I, yield E |
Flags: A = Official figure; E = Estimated value; I = Value imputed by a receiving agency; X = Figure from an external organization.
What the Ghana Census adds about economics
Production and sales in the 2017/18 reference period
The Ghana Census of Agriculture reports 464,141.7 tonnes of coconut produced and 390,901 tonnes sold. That is 84.2% sold by quantity. The survey describes a historical national aggregate, not a current market-clearing price or farm return.
Published cost by production scale
| Scale | Production (t) | Sold (t) | Cost (thousand GH¢) |
|---|---|---|---|
| small | 231,223 | 198,402 | 2,696 |
| medium | 99,305 | 90,934 | 2,637 |
| large | 133,614 | 101,565 | 3,405 |
| Total | 464,141.7 | 390,901 | 8,738 |
The published total cost is GH₵8.738 million. The Ghana table labels the cost unit as thousand GH¢. Do not inflate or deflate this historical value into a current budget without a local price update.
How to turn national data into a farm decision
Use local evidence before you model returns
Start with tree age, number of productive trees, spacing, recent yield records, soil and water conditions, disease history, labour cost, transport distance, buyer specification and farm-gate price. A national average cannot replace those inputs.
Use AgriAuditor as a screening workflow
Compare the report with the Ghana coconut crop profile. Then use the crop ROI estimator with your own costs, the irrigation water estimator for water planning, and a coordinate-level land audit before committing capital.
These tools are screening aids. They do not confirm land title, legal permission, disease diagnosis, buyer contracts or an investment return.
Methods, sources and limitations
Source and licence note
The FAOSTAT layer is a dated extraction of the official QCL production bulk file, filtered to Ghana, the item Coconuts, in shell, and the elements production, area harvested and yield. FAO's current statistical database terms state that datasets are generally under CC BY 4.0 unless metadata says otherwise, require attribution, and include additional restrictions on commercial promotion and third-party data. Review the current FAO database terms before redistributing or using this layer in commercial promotion. This page does not imply FAO endorsement.
The Ghana Census values come from published aggregate tables for the 2017/18 reference period. The report and the live GSS production table, sales table and cost table should be treated as the authority for definitions and revisions. Ghana Ministry of Food and Agriculture district profiles, such as this Agona East profile, are local context only and are not merged into the national series.
What this page cannot establish
- It does not separate fresh nuts, dried coconut, copra, oil or coir output.
- It does not estimate farm-gate prices, net margin, payback, or investment risk.
- It does not explain why the national series changed or prove that a new farm will match the reported yield.
- It does not replace a local soil, disease, water, market, legal or financial assessment.
Suggested citation: FAO. 2025. FAOSTAT: Crops and livestock products, Ghana, Coconuts, in shell, production, area harvested and yield, accessed 9 August 2026. Ghana Statistical Service. Ghana Census of Agriculture 2017/18, Tree Crops thematic report and StatsBank tables. Report prepared and checked by AgriAuditor on 9 August 2026.
Questions about coconut production in Ghana
What does this Ghana coconut production report measure?
The FAOSTAT series measures national production of Coconuts, in shell, plus harvested area and yield from 2010 through 2024. The Ghana Census layer adds production, sales and published cost figures for the 2017/18 reference period.
Does coconut production mean dried coconut or copra?
No. The main series is in-shell coconut production. It should not be read as dried coconut, copra, coconut oil or another processed product. Those products use different definitions and conversion assumptions.
How much coconut did Ghana produce in 2024?
The FAOSTAT snapshot reports 544,774 tonnes of in-shell coconut in 2024, with 76,051 hectares harvested and a reported yield of 7.16 tonnes per hectare. The production and area rows carry an imputed-value flag, and the yield is estimated.
What does the Ghana Census say about coconut sales and costs?
For the 2017/18 reference period, the Ghana Census of Agriculture reports 464,141.7 tonnes produced, 390,901 tonnes sold, and GH₵8.738 million in published cost of production. These are historical survey figures, not a current farm budget.
Can these figures predict profit from a Ghana coconut farm?
No. National production and historical survey costs cannot price a specific farm. A decision needs local land, tree age, spacing, labour, water, disease pressure, transport, market contract and current price data. Use the report to frame those checks, not to approve an investment.
Related research: browse all AgriAuditor research reports or review the coconut profile for Ghana.