(Ecofin Agency) – In Ghana, the cocoa Swollen Shoot virus was identified for the first time in 1936 in the eastern region. The currently incurable disease represents a major challenge for the development of bean production in the country.
In Ghana, the rehabilitation of all cocoa plantations affected by cocoa viral disease (Swollen Shoot) will require a budget of $2 billion. The announcement was made by Joseph Aidoo, Executive Director of the Cocoa Council (Cocobod) on the sidelines of the 5th World Cocoa Conference which was held from April 21 to 24 in Brussels.
If, as part of financing the fight against the pathology, the sector authorities have been able to mobilize funds from various institutions, including the ADB, to treat nearly 100,000 hectares of infected orchards since 2020, Mr. Aidoo indicates that 500,000 hectares are still attacked by the virus, or between 17 and 20% of the total planted areas.
For the country, the Swollen Shoot remains a major threat in addition to other challenges such as the loss of productivity linked to the aging of cocoa trees as well as illegal mining.
These various factors have pushed production estimates to only 500,000 tonnes this season compared to 674,000 tonnes a year earlier. A situation which affects the global supply of beans and will contribute, with the expected decline in supply in Ivory Coast, to a 3th consecutive season of deficit on the market in 2023/2024 (374,000 tonnes), according to the International Cocoa Organization (Icco).
While cocoa prices are currently breaking records in London and New York, some observers indicate that Ghana’s status as the world’s second largest producer could be threatened in the next two years by Ecuador in the absence of a real road map to tackle structural problems and revive production which has been in a rollercoaster ride for more than a decade.
In the South American country, the sector is counting on a production of 500,000 tonnes of cocoa by 2026/2027 thanks to the massive investments anticipated in the fields thanks to the gains recorded by producers this season who receive between 80 and 90% of international bean prices.
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