Reports from undisclosed stakeholders within Ghana’s cocoa industry have disclosed that cocoa production in the 2023–2024 crop season is anticipated to reach approximately 492,000 metric tonnes, marking a significant decline of about 27.9% from the previous year’s yield of 683,000 metric tonnes.
This disclosure was made to JoyBusiness by an insider from Ghana’s cocoa industry.
The decline in Ghana cocoa production has been blamed on several factors, including illegal mining, smuggling activities, the hike in swollen shoot disease and adverse weather conditions, among others.
This comes after Ghana produced about 750,000 metric tonnes of cocoa beans in the 2021–2022 season.
However, there has been a consistent decline in cocoa production over the past three years, raising concerns among stakeholders.
Reuters has reported that Ghana’s cocoa output for the 2023–24 season is expected to decrease by nearly 40%, falling below the target of 820,000 metric tonnes.
Expressing concerns over the production shortfall, the first source told Reuters that strong seasonal winds and insufficient rainfall have exacerbated the situation, with the current output forecasted to be about 500,000 tons for the season.
Addressing the challenges, the source noted, “Unfortunately, the cause of the decline is not one that could be remedied immediately through human intervention.”
Earlier this month, the regulator revealed that about 500,000 hectares of cocoa farmlands had been destroyed by the cocoa swollen shoot virus.
The second source remains optimistic about Ghana’s chances of recovery despite the current circumstances.
COCOBOD has yet to comment on the matter.