A farmers holds cocoa beans while he is drying them at a village in Sinfra, Ivory Coast, on April 29, 2023.
Consumers could start to see the effect of surging cocoa prices as the world faces the worst supply deficit in decades, with farmers in West Africa struggling against bad weather, disease and failing trees.
The world is facing the largest cocoa supply deficit in more than 60 years and consumers could start to see the effect at the end of this year or early 2025, Joules said.
The International Cocoa Organization has forecast a supply deficit of 374,000 tons for the 2023-24 season, a 405% increase from a deficit of 74,000 tons in the previous season.
Cocoa prices will likely remain elevated for some time because there are no easy fixes to the systemic issues facing the market, he said.
Persons:
Michele Buck, Paul
Organizations:
Hershey, CNBC, National Confectioners Association, Rabobank, International Cocoa Organization
Locations:
Sinfra, Ivory Coast, West Africa, Cocoa