ABIDJAN — Côte d’Ivoire’s (Ivory Coast) cocoa sector, the backbone of the West African nation’s economy, is grappling with a severe marketing crisis marked by export blockages, the underselling of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of beans, and a sharp decline in farm-gate prices.
The world’s largest single producer of cocoa beans, accounting for around 40% of global supply, has seen farm-gate prices plummet from approximately $4.89 per kilogram to just $2.09 per kilogram. More than five million people in the country depend on cocoa production for their livelihoods, and the current impasse has created widespread uncertainty and financial hardship for producers.
Farmers and cooperative leaders report growing frustration. One producer described delivering his cocoa only to be told there were no funds available for payment. “I just weighed my cocoa and the cooperative president says there’s no money in the till to pay me. Why can’t I get paid? These days, I have enough challenges to face with my family — I have to take care of my parents, my wife, the children, schooling, and food,” he said. “This time, if I don’t get paid, I’ll sleep here in the warehouse. Enough is enough. When I come to collect my money, they just keep saying, ‘Come tomorrow.’ Yet, they owe me over a million CFA francs. I’m really tired.”
Cooperatives find themselves powerless amid angry producers waiting for collection of beans stored in warehouses. Balamine Koné, chair of the management committee at the Modern Farmers’ Cooperative in Daloa (about 400 km northeast of Abidjan), explained that the issue does not originate with the cooperatives. “The problem does not come from us,” he said. “Since the cocoa crisis, the state has put a structure in place for the removal of cocoa stocks. The agents of the cocoa council even went through our warehouse and inventoried 85 tons. But until now, they did not come to take our cocoa, which does not allow us to pay the producers.”
The cooperative holds over 500 tons of cocoa ready for collection, yet only two trucks have been loaded and shipped through Transcow. Staff monitor quality daily, reconditioning deteriorating beans by drying them in the sun, but spoilage is advancing, with over 500 bags already affected. “It’s clear that our product will deteriorate further… But what are we going to do with the deteriorated cocoa?” Koné asked.
Nationwide, cooperatives report holding more than 700,000 tons of unsold cocoa stocks in warehouses. These beans can be stored temporarily, but poor storage conditions mean quality can spoil quickly if left for too long, raising the risk that a significant portion of the harvest could be written off.
Contributing factors include exporters’ refusal to purchase cocoa at the state-set price, which they view as excessively high compared to the sharp decline in global prices. This has led to blockages at ports and slowed exports.
In response, the Ivorian government is spending nearly half a billion dollars — approximately 280 billion CFA francs — to buy up unsold cocoa beans and ease liquidity pressures for farmers and cooperatives.
During a live interview from Daloa, Balamine Koné discussed the government’s stabilization system, which guarantees farmers 60% of the CIF (cost, insurance, and freight) price. He argued that this approach shields producers from direct exposure to volatile international markets, unlike past liberalization efforts that left farmers vulnerable. “The system that the government is going through now is the best way. The stabilization is the best option for the farmer,” Koné stated, acknowledging that while international market pressures can create challenges the government cannot resolve immediately, the regulated system remains preferable for securing revenue.
He also highlighted the problem of cross-border smuggling between Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, which together produce about two-thirds of the world’s cocoa. Price differences drive significant flows — for instance, around 100,000 tons moved from Ghana to Côte d’Ivoire in the current season when Ivorian prices were higher. With porous borders, smuggling complicates stock management and pricing stability, as the government’s system primarily accounts for domestically produced beans.
The crisis underscores the difficulties of balancing farmer incomes with global market realities in one of the world’s most important cocoa-producing regions. As stocks pile up and quality risks mount, industry players and authorities continue seeking ways to clear the backlog, restore cash flow to producers, and prevent long-term damage to the sector.
