Why is there a shortage of cocoa beans?

Dr Michael Odijie, a research associate at University College London, explains the reasons for the drop in cocoa-bean production, and what this means for farmers, businesses and chocolate lovers.

- Dr Michael Odijie

WHY HAS COCOA PRODUCTION DECLINED SHARPLY IN WEST AFRICA?

Three factors are at play: environmental, economic cycle related and human.

One environmental factor is the impact of the El Niño weather phenomenon, which has caused drier weather in West Africa. It has contributed to problems on farms, such as the swollen shoot virus disease. As a result, Ghana has lost harvests from nearly 500 000ha of land in recent years.

The economic cycle of cocoa production refers to the inherent patterns of expansion and contraction in cocoa farming. For example, as cocoa trees age, they become susceptible to diseases, requiring high maintenance costs. Historically, farmers have tended to abandon old farms and start anew in fresh forests. Unfortunately, finding new forests is now increasingly difficult. Perhaps the most severe issue of all is the lack of fair compensation for sustainable cocoa production.

The human factor includes challenges such as illegal mining, which has overtaken numerous farms in Ghana. Sometimes farmers lease their land to illegal miners in exchange for payment. These mining activities degrade the quality of the land, making it unsuitable for cocoa cultivation.

The global market for chocolate and chocolate products is on the rise, projected to grow faster than 4% annually over the next few years. This underscores the urgency in addressing the intertwined issues that relate to the industry’s sustainability.

HAVE WEST AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS INTERVENED TO HELP COCOA FARMERS?