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May 12, 2026
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Ivory Coast will send officials to calm protests by cocoa farmers, source says
Money
Policy
Growth
Key Points
- Ivory Coast's Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC) will send officials to address tensions after farmers protested over unsold, rotting cocoa stocks and unpaid beans.
- Farmers in various regions, including M'Batto and Daloa, have not been paid for main crop cocoa harvested between October and March, leading to demoralization and protests.
- Unsold cocoa stocks accumulated from November to December due to global prices falling below the local prices set by the CCC.
- The payment delays are impacting farmers' health and their ability to maintain plantations, threatening the yield of the upcoming main crop harvest.
- Some farmers are resorting to selling main crop cocoa at significantly lower mid-crop prices to prevent further losses from rotting beans.
Why This Matters
As the world's second-largest cocoa producer, Ghana is directly impacted by developments in Ivory Coast, the top producer. The instability, farmer protests, and market challenges described in Ivory Coast could influence global cocoa prices, affecting Ghana's export revenues and the livelihoods of its own cocoa farmers. Furthermore, it highlights potential pitfalls in cocoa sector management that Ghana's COCOBOD might need to consider in its own policies and farmer engagement strategies.
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