Cocoa Farmers Battle Disease Destroying Crops in West Africa

Cocoa farmers across West Africa are monitoring the progress of several plant diseases that are ruining crops on a vast scale and pushing up the global price of cacao, the raw material for making chocolate, to record levels. Ivory Coast and its neighbour Ghana, together supply more than half of the world’s demand for cocoa. As the major cacao season, which began in October 2023, draws to a close at the end of March, cocoa farmers in the village of Dodjagnoa say they are devastated. Fungal black pod disease is just one of many affecting farmers. Its spread is aided by months of soggy weather. Another major problem in Ghana and Ivory Coast is cocoa swollen shoot virus, spread by insects. It is usually dealt with by cutting down infected trees entirely. The wet conditions in West Africa are being blamed for damaging crop yields, which is pushing cacao prices higher. The global cocoa and chocolate market is expected to grow from a value of $48 billion in 2022 to nearly $68 billion by 2029, according to analysts at Fortune Business Insights. Farmers and representatives from farming collectives are gathering in Abidjan to talk with trade union leaders about what can be done to help them.

SOURCE: AFRICA NEWS