World cocoa prices have climbed to their highest level in over a decade, offering a rare windfall to smallholder farmers across the Ashanti and Western regions just as the mid-crop harvest gets underway. COCOBOD officials say the combination of strong global demand and a bumper local harvest could push Ghana's cocoa export revenue past $3 billion this season, though farmer groups are pressing for a bigger share of the price increase to reach growers directly rather than being absorbed further up the supply chain. "For the first time in years, we are seeing real hope in the villages," said a cooperative leader in Bekwai. Analysts caution that erratic rainfall linked to climate change remains the biggest long-term threat to output.