Indonesia, Nigeria, and Ecuador could overtake Ghana as the world’s second-largest cocoa producer as Ghana faces a deep and prolonged production crisis.
Ghana, traditionally the second-biggest producer after Ivory Coast and supplying about 15–20 percent of global cocoa, has seen output drop by an estimated 30–40 percent due to aging trees, swollen shoot disease, illegal gold mining on farmland, climate change, and weak investment in replanting.
Indonesia has expanded cocoa farming in Sulawesi and eastern regions, Ecuador continues growing its premium fine-flavor cocoa sector, and Nigeria is working to revive production through government support and favorable farming conditions.
Meanwhile, Ghana’s cocoa regulator, COCOBOD, is struggling with financial pressures, debt, and farmer dissatisfaction over low prices and delayed payments, worsening the production decline.
The shift could impact global chocolate manufacturers, cocoa prices, and Ghana’s economy, where cocoa is a key export and income source for hundreds of thousands of farmers, while raising broader concerns about sustainability and climate resilience in cocoa-producing nations.
