Cocoa Crisis in West Africa Threatens Chocolate Supplies Worldwide

Cocoa production in Ghana and Ivory Coast, the world's top producers, is facing a crisis due to illegal gold mining, climate change, crop disease, and sector mismanagement.

Over 590,000 hectares of Ghana's cocoa plantations are estimated to be infected with swollen shoot disease, which will eventually kill the trees.

Illegal gold mining is invading cocoa farms, with miners forcibly taking over plantations and destroying cocoa trees.

Climate change is making it harder to grow cocoa in West Africa, with rainfall patterns shifting and dry spells lasting longer.

With production falling in Ghana and Ivory Coast, chocolate prices are spiking globally and expected to rise further, making chocolate a luxury.