Flash floods have been reported in West and Central Africa. In Côte d’Ivoire, the floods are reported to have restricted the transportation of cocoa beans from the farms to the ports and could be the reason for the year-on-year cocoa arrivals seen during the first few weeks of the 2022/23 season at the country’s ports of exports. Indeed, as at 06 November 2022, cumulative volumes of arrivals of cocoa beans in Côte d’Ivoire were reported at 348,000 MT, down by 23% year-on-year compared to 452,000 MT recorded during the corresponding period of the previous season. Nevertheless, a reduction in cocoa yields is expected should torrential rainfall persist, as soil nutrients will be washed away. This will further exacerbate the current problem associated with increasing fertilizer prices.
In neighbouring Ghana, while no fresh data were available on the level of volumes of graded and sealed cocoa beans for the 2022/23 season, the situation is being closely monitored as the country recorded a drastic cut in production compared to last season, due in part to the devastating effect of the Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease (CSSVD), illegal mining on cocoa farms and reduced use of fertilizer due to the high prices.