This episode delivers a concise yet detailed overview of the global cocoa market for the week of June 29, 2025. It highlights the contrasting regional conditions impacting production, from weather-related setbacks in West Africa to technological advances in South America.
- In the Ivory Coast, cocoa producers face a challenging mid-crop season due to cooler-than-average weather, which has slowed pod development and export activity despite some beneficial rainfall. Disease susceptibility is rising, prompting government investment in climate-resilient agriculture. Bean rejection rates have spiked to 6 percent compared to 1 percent during the main season, and the harvest is expected to decline by 9 percent to 400,000 metric tons.
- Ghana also anticipates a 3.3 percent shortfall in production. Financial constraints faced by Cocobod, combined with fiscal austerity, have limited access to essential inputs. Unfavorable weather in key regions such as Western North and Ashanti is hampering flowering and pod formation, further dampening the production outlook.
- In contrast, Brazil’s Para region reports a robust productivity rate of 847 kilograms per hectare. This performance is attributed to effective agroforestry, advanced pest control, and widespread use of real-time digital crop monitoring technologies, which are now deployed in over half of the region’s farms.
- Nigeria’s Ondo State is grappling with reputational damage from cocoa adulteration scandals. Authorities have responded with stricter enforcement and quality controls, though exports in April were still down 11 percent year on year.
- In Ecuador, cocoa production is split by climate: excessive rain in Manabi and Esmeraldas has led to flooding and disease risks, while drought conditions in Los Rios and Guayas are straining irrigation and overall crop health. These divergent conditions complicate national production prospects.
