Ivory Coast, the world’s top cocoa producer, is grappling with an unprecedented crisis as plunging international prices and slow domestic sales leave farmers struggling to survive.
Since October 2025, cocoa exports have slowed dramatically, while stockpiles at the farm and cooperative levels continue to mount. The deadlock has left many smallholders in severe financial distress, with some unable to meet basic needs or cover urgent family expenses.
“Today, producers are dying. Producers are dying of poverty even though they have products; they cannot afford to pay for medical care or to live,” said Marty Somda, director of the Cabend cooperative. He recounted a case of a farmer who lost his wife and, despite having cocoa worth at least 9 million CFA francs (US$14,400), could not raise 5 francs for the funeral.
The Ivorian government sets cocoa prices twice a year at the farm gate. However, these official prices often fall out of step with volatile world market rates, leaving farmers exposed when global cocoa prices fall. Since mid-2025, international cocoa prices have dropped to roughly $5,000 per tonne, equivalent to about $5 per kilo, forcing some producers to sell below government-mandated rates to meet urgent financial needs.
“I was given what is called an order to come and pay. But how can I pay? They forced me to take a bag of cocoa to sell at a price that is unaffordable,” said Laurent Kone, a farmer in Duekoue. He explained that while the official farm-gate price is set at 2,800 CFA francs ($4.50) per kilo, some buyers are paying as little as 2,000 francs (US$3.20) due to pressing needs, leaving farmers unable to cover household or emergency costs.
More Read
The cocoa sector remains central to the Ivorian economy. About one in five people in the country relies indirectly on cocoa for their livelihoods, including farmers, labourers, transporters, and traders. Cocoa accounts for a significant portion of the nation’s export earnings, making the industry both economically and socially vital.
The Coffee and Cocoa Council has sought to calm fears among producers. “We have made forecasts. All of the Ivory Coast’s production from our plantations will be purchased,” said Yves Brahima Kone, the council’s director. “I wanted to reassure our producers.”
Despite these assurances, farmers say the situation is urgent. Falling global prices, coupled with domestic pressures and limited access to credit, have created a precarious environment where producers face difficult choices between selling at a loss or forgoing immediate cash for daily needs.
More Read
Experts warn that the crisis could have far-reaching consequences for the country’s cocoa sector. If farmers are unable to sustain operations, production levels may fall, potentially affecting global cocoa supply and driving further instability in local communities that rely on the crop for income.
Ivory Coast produces around 2 million tonnes of cocoa annually, accounting for nearly 40 percent of global output. The current market downturn follows a period of strong international demand that drove prices higher, highlighting the sector’s vulnerability to global commodity fluctuations.
Farmers and cooperatives are calling for a more flexible pricing system and better support mechanisms to shield smallholders from market shocks, including access to low-interest credit, price stabilization funds, and emergency social support programs.
As the deadlock continues, the human impact is evident. Many families are struggling to meet basic needs, underscoring the social as well as economic dimensions of the cocoa crisis in the world’s top-producing country.
