Concern for Wellbeing The Cocoa Plan aims to contribute directly to farmers ' material wellbeing through the price premiums paid for UTZ - certified cocoa . These amounted to 12 , 17 or 18 GHS ( 2.42 - 3.64 Euro ) in the communities visited in 2017 , depending on the community and supplier ( Focus groups : D1 - 5 ) . The cash premium thus accounts for a sup - plement of 2.5 - 3.8 percent on top of the standard price per bag of 475 GHS ( 96 Euro ) in the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 seasons . However , certified farmers in most of the visited communities only received a premium for bags that they sold during the main harvest period - locally referred to as the ' bumper season'-which usually runs from October to December or January ( Focus groups : D2 - 8 ; Interviews E2 - 5 ) . Anecdotal evidence provided by individual farmers and purchasing clerks suggests that certified farmers only receive a cash premium for 30 to 50 percent of their annual cocoa production . The data is inconclusive as to the scale and reasons for this phenomenon .