Climate change is distorting weather patterns globally, and its adverse effects are felt in many countries, affecting all types of food production drastically.
Production of essential food has not only declined significantly in many parts of the world, but climate change has also taken its toll on luxuries like chocolate.
Critics may ask how climate change affects the cocoa plant, the main ingredient in chocolate. The answer is simple.
Globally, two West African countries, Ivory Coast and Ghana, account for 70% of the world’s cocoa. Both countries are suitable for cocoa farming, with the idyllic blend of rainfall and dry spells essential for the crop.
For cocoa pods to mature into cocoa plants, specific weather conditions are required. Any distortion in these weather patterns through excessive rainfall or unusually long drought seasons inflicts damage on the cocoa plant.
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When this delicate balance is altered – whether by unwarranted rainfall outside the designated season or protracted dry periods – it takes its toll on the cocoa plant.
Ghana’s cocoa farmers have become victims of climate change. Unexpected dry spells and insufficient rainfall have ruined many cocoa plants. On the flip side, heavy rainfall can result in insect and fungal infiltration.
Besides climate change, another woe afflicts the cocoa plant: the swollen shoot virus, which has reduced yields and killed cocoa trees. Some 500,000 hectares of farmlands have so far been destroyed.
Beyond climate change, Ghana’s cocoa farmers face other challenges: higher production costs, revenue shortfalls and the need for better seeds and fertilisers to increase production.
The outlook for Ghana’s cocoa output for the current season is not optimistic. The harvest is anticipated to decline by almost 40% – below a target of 820,000 metric tons.
Ghana’s cocoa yields have declined in recent years not just because of climate change. Other challenges make life difficult: disease, inadequate incentives for cocoa farmers, financial issues limiting farmers’ ability to buy fertilisers, and smuggling.
Cocoa prices have had a volatile journey in 2024. Based on statistics provided by ActivTrades, prices surged unusually in April 2024, soaring to $11,776 per tonne – a staggering 175% increase compared to the beginning of the year.
To curb smuggling, Ghana’s government recently announced a 45% increase in the producer price of cocoa for the 2024-25 crop season.
Due to supply chain delays and existing contracts, steep price hikes are anticipated to continue into 2025. Industry players anticipate that retail chocolate prices may surge another 30% or more next year.
With such a scenario, cocoa production is being hit, ultimately leading to higher chocolate prices. Manufacturers will inevitably pass the increased prices to chocolate lovers worldwide.
Unknown to many, climate change is slowly affecting people’s lives in all corners of the globe. The authorities must pay serious attention to the fight against climate change and arrive at workable solutions.
Reducing carbon emissions is key, and it is equally necessary to vigorously remove CO2 from the Earth’s atmosphere to effectively tackle climate change.
If we fail to act now, posterity will pay a heavy price for our neglect, with rising sea levels, ecological degradation and food security affecting many communities.
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
Destabilisation of the weather system is what is expected from global warming. Many governments have not or can not prepare for this. What is at risk? Increasing humidity may make Malaysia uninhabitable.
However the coco farmers plight sounds like it has been made worse by the use of industrial agricultural (mining) practices. Instead of farming which follows the rule ‘what you take from the farm you put back into the farm” only the basic ingredients are being replaced using fertilizer. This initially increases production and looks amazing compared to farming. However slowly the crop is weakened by mining all the other minerals and biology out of the land until the plants do not have what they need to defend themselves and disease sets in.