ABIDJAN, May 13 – Ivory Coast’s Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC) will send officials to the country’s centre-east after cocoa farmers staged protests over unpaid deliveries and rotting stock.
The delegation will visit M’Batto, where police recently used tear gas to disperse farmers blocking roads while demanding payment for cocoa they say was already sold. The protests have been driven by delays in payments for beans delivered during the main harvest season.
Farmers and cooperatives said they have not received money for cocoa sold between October and March, despite a government-backed programme meant to purchase unsold stocks. However, the CCC and the agriculture ministry have not commented on the situation.
The issue began after cocoa stocks built up between November and December when global prices fell below the local farmgate price set by the regulator. Ivory Coast adjusts cocoa prices twice a year through the CCC.
In the centre-west region of Daloa, a cooperative representing more than 300 farmers said it is still holding about 150 metric tons of unsold cocoa. The group said delayed payments have left farmers struggling, with some unable to afford basic medical care.
Farmers in other regions, including Soubre and Duekoue, said they have been forced to sell main-crop cocoa at lower prices after failing to access the official rate of 2,800 CFA francs per kilogram. Some said they accepted as low as 1,300 CFA francs per kilogram to avoid losses as beans began to spoil.
“We can’t get the main crop price, so the beans are going bad,” one farmer said.
A cocoa industry platform confirmed it is aware of unsold stocks still held by farmers but said it could not estimate the total volume. It also acknowledged that some farmers have delivered cocoa but remain unpaid despite government intervention efforts.
