Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has raised the cocoa farm-gate price to a historic 2,800 CFA francs ($4.26) per kilogram, a 27 percent leap from April's mid-harvest level, as the world's top producer gears up for an October 25 election where Ouattara seeks a fourth term.

The guaranteed minimum, shielding farmers from global volatility, thrilled growers in a sector that powers 40 percent of world supply, 14 percent of GDP, and sustains one million jobs plus five million dependents. "We can send our children to school and sleep peacefully," said southern farmer Berlem Oumarou, while central producer Edmond M'Bra added, "Producers have suffered for years."

The hike, decreed annually by government, arrives amid 2024's price doubling on weather hits and shortages, though past adjustments have fallen short of farmer pleas for fairer cuts.

In a nation of 30 million where cocoa nets $10 billion yearly in exports, the move spotlights electoral math: Ouattara's Rally of Houphouëtists for Democracy and Peace banks on rural goodwill against opposition cries of graft and inequality.

Critics eye the timing as vote baiting, with youth unrest bubbling over misplaced priorities like World Cup preps amid health and education squeezes.

Processors, meanwhile, brace for cost crunches in a chain prone to middlemen skims, as the policy weighs producer relief against supply stability.

As polls near, the bump—from 1,000 CFA in 2023—could sway heartland voters, but sustainability hinges on global demand and climate whims that have tripled losses this year.