Ivory Coast's Cocoa Woes: Retailers Struggle Amid Farmers’ Financial Woes

In Ivory Coast's cocoa sector, 90% of fertiliser stocks remain unsold as farmers cut back on spending due to financial losses. This move threatens future yields and may alter global markets. Despite a fixed farmgate price meant to boost investment, retailers face significant unsold inventories.

Fertiliser and crop protection product retailers across Ivory Coast's cocoa belt are struggling, with up to 90% of their stocks unsold. Farmers, hit hard by financial losses from a poor main crop season, have slashed plantation maintenance spending.

Olivier Silue, a retailer in Duékoué, reports having sold only three tonnes of his 95-tonne inventory by mid-May, raising fears of declining yields and increased pest issues in the world's top cocoa-producing nation. The ensuing production decline could help balance the global cocoa market in the 2026/27 season, especially as international prices are expected to rise due to geopolitical tensions and environmental factors.

The Ivorian government had previously set a guaranteed farmgate price to encourage investment in farm inputs. However, this strategy has faltered as cocoa prices dropped and producers prioritized basic needs over fertilisers, risking an uptick in pest and disease incidence and a potential impact on the upcoming crop season starting September 1.