The Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food Production, Bruno Nabagné Koné, officially launched the 2026 rubber harvest season this Friday, June 19, at the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Foundation. Addressing an audience of nearly 2,000 stakeholders in the sector, the Minister announced major structural reforms aimed at establishing greater fairness and transparency within the industry.

Three key measures for producers' purchasing power

The reform plan presented by the minister, the result of an interprofessional consensus, rests on three immediate economic pillars:

1. Removal of the discount: Definitive withdrawal of the 2 FCFA/kg tax on delivered rubber.
2. Increase in income: Increase in the share redistributed to producers, which goes from 63% to 66% of the net reference price.
3. Market regulation: Capping of incentive premiums at 10 FCFA/kg to regulate competition between buyers and processors and stabilize local prices.

"The law will be applied in all its rigor," warned Bruno Koné, who immediately instructed the Rubber-Oil Palm-Coconut Council (CHPC) to deploy control brigades throughout the territory to ensure strict compliance with these new rules.

A strategic sector at the heart of the Ivorian economy

The minister took the opportunity to highlight the considerable economic importance of natural rubber in Ivory Coast, illustrated by the key indicators for the year 2025:

1. 170,000 active producers.
2. More than 1.2 million people depend on the sector.
3. 330,000 direct jobs generated.
4. More than 700 billion FCFA in revenue distributed in 2025.
5. A strong industrial network comprising around fifty processing plants and 900 approved purchasing companies .

Very favorable global prospects

While the international market faces a structural deficit estimated at 0.4 million tons for 2026, Côte d'Ivoire is approaching this season from a position of strength. According to the minister, this global supply shortage should keep prices at a very advantageous level for local producers.

In the long term, the government's vision is based on three clear ambitions: reducing rural poverty, stimulating competitiveness through local industrial transformation, and consolidating interprofessional governance.

Focus on local transformation

Prior to the ministerial intervention, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the CHPC, Anoblé Miézan Félix, welcomed the quality of the sectoral dialogue. He nevertheless advocated for an acceleration of local industrialization through high value-added projects, so that the country would no longer be limited to exporting raw materials.

In proclaiming the opening of this new season, Bruno Koné expressed his wish for a rubber-growing Ivory Coast that is "more just, more competitive and more inclusive".