The Ivory Coast Coffee and Cocoa Board has identified 33 trucks carrying around 1,100 tonnes of smuggled cocoa beans across the border with Guinea.

Cocoa smuggling in the region has increased following poor harvests in Ghana and Ivory Coast, the world’s second-largest producers. The decline in production has led to a supply shortage in the market, which in turn has pushed up global cocoa and chocolate prices.

Agriculture Minister Koubenane Kouassi Adjoumani said cocoa production in West Africa, including Ivory Coast, had fallen by 25% in the 2023-24 season.