Cocoa production in Ivory Coast: towards a shortage of cocoa

More than 105 million hectares of cocoa were uprooted. The trees were infected by the swollen shoot disease, also known as the “Cocoa AIDS”.

Over 105 million hectares of cocoa were uprooted as part of the fight against “swollen shoot”, according to the report of the Coordination Unit presented by the coordinator Coulibaly Samiga, over the three years of implementation from 2018 to 2021.

These are a total of 105,015,010 hectares of cocoa that has been uprooted against 100,000 initially planned, said Coulibaly at a workshop on the program of intensive uprooting of cocoa plots infected by the disease of “swollen shoot” organized at the Universal Hotel in Yamoussoukro from 15 to 16 September 2021 by the Coffee-Cocoa Council.

For two days, the Deputy Director-General of the Coffee-Cocoa Council, Dr Koffi N’Goran, assisted by his collaborators, exchanged on the issue to take stock of the intensive uprooting phase launched in January 2018 in Bouaflé with a view to identifying the prospects for the final eradication of this disease that is destroying the Ivorian cocoa orchard, reports an information note sent to AIP.

The “Cocoa AIDS”

However, despite this satisfactory result, the “swollen shoot”, often called the “AIDS of cocoa”, is still present on Ivorian lands. Also, in collaboration with Anader, the Coffee-Cocoa Council has identified stock of 70,000 hectares of infected cocoa plots that will also be uprooted over the next two years.

The conclusions reached at the workshop were to intensify producer awareness so that they have a better understanding of the disease and, above all, agree to the uprooting of their infected plots; to identify and map all infected plots; to improve the computerized management system for the swollen shoot disease control program; and to adapt the procedures and deadlines for financial matters relating to the program.

The Yamoussoukro meeting was also used by the Deputy Director in charge of Sustainability, N’Cho Serge Pacôme, to exchange with participants on the progress of the reforestation contribution program initiated and financed by the Cocoa Council.

The first phase of this program, which has already begun, provides for the planting of 10 million trees in cocoa plots in 2021. The goal is to reach 60 million trees planted by 2024.