Weather conditions, disease devastate Ghana’s cocoa sector; production estimated at 492,000mt for 2023/24 season

Projections for total cocoa production for the 2023/24 crop season indicate a notable decrease to about 492,000 metric tons of cocoa beans, marking a significant 27.9% drop from the 2022/2023 season’s recorded yield of 683,000 metric tons.

The more than 328,000mt reduction in cocoa production for the current year is attributed to adverse weather conditions, a surge in smuggling activities, the pervasive impact of illegal gold mining and the prevalence of the cocoa swollen shoot disease.

Ghana’s cocoa production has witnessed a downward trend over the past few years, with the 2021/2022 crop season yielding approximately 750,000 metric tons of cocoa beans.

Concerns are mounting among stakeholders regarding this year’s decline, prompting calls for decisive action from regulatory bodies such as the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and other industry players.

Foreign media outlet, Reuters, has reported that Ghana’s cocoa output for the 2023/24 season is expected to go down by almost 40%, below a target of 820,000 metric tons.

The projected decline for this year’s season could have implications for the country’s trade surplus since cocoa is one of the country’s major traditional export earnings.

COCOBOD disclosed earlier this month that the cocoa swollen shoot virus had devastated approximately 500,000 hectares of cocoa farmlands.

But despite the current predicament, some stakeholders in the cocoa industry remain optimistic about Ghana’s potential for production recovery.