Sustained dry weather conditions in West Africa is threatening both quality and production of cocoa in Ghana and Ivory Coast, the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) warned.
The global body said in its latest forecast that it was expanding on crop deficit by 67,000 tonnes to 180,000 largely due to weather and harvest prospects in West Africa, which is home to 70 percent of the world’s cocoa production.
“Extreme weather conditions, resulting from the severe Harmattan winds within the West African region, combined with the impact of El Niño, have negatively affected the 2015-16 harvests,” the ICCO said.
Summary of revised forecasts and estimates
| Cocoa year (Oct-Sep) |
2014/2015 | 2015/2016 | Year-on-year change | ||
| Revised estimates |
Previous Forecasts a/ |
Revised Forecasts |
|||
| (thousand tonnes) | (Per cent) | ||||
| World production | 4 233 | 4 154 | 4 039 | – 194 | – 4.6% |
| World grindings | 4 145 | 4 225 | 4 179 | + 34 | + 0.8% |
| Surplus/deficit b/ | + 46 | – 113 | – 180 | ||
| End-of-season stocks | 1 612 | 1 494 | 1 432 | – 180 | – 11.2% |
| Stocks/Grindings ratio | 38.9% | 35.4% | 34.3% | ||
