Cocoa Crisis in Ivory Coast: From Sun-Dried Beans to Economic Uncertainty
In the humid town square of Aboisso, southeastern Ivory Coast, cocoa beans spill across blue tarps, basking under the relentless sun. This scene, orchestrated by cooperative leader Dongo Yao Kra, is a desperate measure to salvage beans that have languished for months in damp warehouses. “We have to, from time to time, expose them to the sun to limit the damage. Otherwise, the mould gets into the product, and we won’t know where to sell it,” explains Yao Kra, president of the Socoopagos cooperative, which represents about 2,300 growers in the Sud-Comoe region. This visual—beans drying in public spaces—symbolizes a deepening crisis in the world’s top cocoa producer, where state-set prices, global market shifts, and bureaucratic delays have converged to threaten livelihoods and economic stability.
The Price Rollercoaster: From Record Highs to Sudden Cuts
Ivory Coast’s cocoa sector operates under a state-controlled pricing system, where the government fixes the purchase price paid to farmers. In early October 2024, just before President Alassane Ouattara’s re-election, this price hit a historic peak of 2,800 CFA francs (approximately $5) per kilogram. This surge aimed to boost farmer incomes amid years of global shortages that had driven cocoa prices upward. However, by summer 2025, global cocoa prices began to decline as abundant production returned to key regions, making Ivory Coast’s fixed price unsustainable. Faced with slowing exports and mounting stockpiles in cooperative warehouses—which function as consignment depots—the government slashed the purchase price to 1,200 CFA francs in early March 2025. This abrupt change left many growers with unsold beans from before the cut, locked in at the higher rate, and cooperatives like Socoopagos staring at unfeasible costs. Yao Kra estimates his cooperative’s unrecoverable expenses at 230 million CFA francs, a sum that threatens its solvency.
Human Impact: Growers’ Struggles and Broken Promises
The price cut ignited fury among cocoa farmers, who see it as a betrayal. At a crisis meeting in Songan, a village north of Aboisso, heated debates erupted in French and local Maninka. “It’s as if they stopped a football match halfway through to change the rules,” fumes Antoine Ouattara Sie Kouabou, a 54-year-old father of five still awaiting payment for 830 kilograms of beans. Many growers now fear returning to their fields, as the laborers they employ also depend on delayed wages. The government’s Coffee Cocoa Council had pledged in January to buy back unsold beans through a reserve fund, but implementation has faltered. Socoopagos reports that only 45 out of 380 stored tonnes have been reclaimed. “It’s a scam, they deceived us,” charges Dolford Diby, a 55-year-old farmer supplementing his income with rubber and pig farming. “This country is built on agriculture; we deserve to be respected.”
Similar grievances echo in regions like Duekoue in western Ivory Coast, according to trade unionist Yao Yao. “It’s up to the state to take matters into its own hands or the exporters,” he asserts. Obed Blonde Doua, vice president of the Coffee-Cocoa Interprofessional Organisation, revealed last week that between 57,000 and 60,000 tonnes of cocoa remain unclaimed from an inventory of 100,000 tonnes backlogged in cooperative warehouses. The Coffee Cocoa Council did not respond to AFP’s requests for comment, further eroding trust. Blonde Doua urged resolution, stating: “Let’s make sure that producers can earn the 2,800 CFA francs on the remaining stock, so that the social climate can be peaceful.”
Broader Context: Why This Crisis Matters
This turmoil extends beyond individual hardships. Cocoa is the backbone of Ivory Coast’s economy, contributing 14% to GDP and supporting an estimated five million people, from farmers to traders. The sector’s instability risks not only rural livelihoods but also national revenue and global chocolate supply chains. Historically, Ivory Coast has balanced state intervention with market forces, but the current mismatch between fixed domestic prices and volatile global markets has exposed systemic vulnerabilities. Cooperatives, acting as crucial intermediaries, are now burdened with deteriorating stocks and impossible financial calculations. The sun-drying of beans in town squares is more than a practical fix—it’s a stark metaphor for a system under strain, where quality degrades as quickly as
