Ivory Coast Cocoa Farmers Protest Over Rotting Beans and Unpaid Sales — What It Means for Global Sup

Ivory Coast's Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC) announced on May 12 that it will send officials to the centre-eastern town of M'Batto to calm farmer protests. The demonstrations broke out last week after farmers who had sold cocoa to the government went months without being paid — while the beans they still hold are rotting in storage. Reuters reported the story the same day, drawing immediate attention from buyers and traders across the cocoa supply chain.

What Happened and Why

The problem traces back to late 2025. After cocoa futures hit an all-time high above $12,000 per tonne in 2024, prices collapsed sharply. By early 2026, benchmark prices had fallen to around $3,300 per tonne. But the CCC's fixed farmgate price for the main crop — set at 2,800 CFA francs per kilogram — remained well above what international buyers were willing to pay.

The gap triggered a standstill. From November to December 2025, exporters and traders stopped purchasing at the fixed rate. Beans piled up. The government launched a programme to buy the unsold stock, but payments have not followed through. A cooperative head in the Daloa region told Reuters his organisation — representing more than 300 farmers — still holds around 150 metric tons of unsold main-crop beans, with no payment received.

"We can't get the main crop price of 2,800 francs per kilogram. Instead, the beans from the main crop are going bad, so I sold them for 1,300 francs per kilogram."

— Salif Kone, cocoa farmer near Duekoue, quoted by Reuters

The Protests and Government Response

Last week, dozens of farmers in M'Batto blocked roads demanding payment. Police responded with tear gas. Following the unrest, the CCC said it would dispatch managers to the area to address the situation. Neither the CCC nor the agriculture ministry had issued an official comment as of the time of reporting.

Pauline Zei, manager of the Ivorian Platform for Sustainable Cocoa, acknowledged the scale of the problem: "The government has made efforts to reduce inventories. Despite these efforts, some cocoa has been purchased but the farmers have not received payment. We understand their distress." She added that precise estimates of the unsold volumes nationally are not available.

Key Numbers

Supply Chain Risk: Short-Term vs Medium-Term

A European-based cocoa trader told Reuters the current situation is localised and not yet affecting global supply or prices. For now, that assessment holds — international cocoa futures have shown limited reaction to the news.

The medium-term picture is less certain. Albert Konan, a farmer and cooperative manager, put it directly: "This situation will affect the next main crop harvest because growers were counting on a lot of money to maintain their plantations." Without income from the current crop, farmers cannot fund the inputs — fertiliser, labour, pest control — needed for the next growing cycle.

Broader Context

This crisis sits inside a larger structural shift. The ICCO raised its 2024/25 global cocoa surplus estimate to 75,000 MT in March — the first surplus in four years. StoneX projects a 287,000 MT surplus for 2025/26 and 267,000 MT for 2026/27. Price declines were expected. What was not fully anticipated was how the fixed-price system would leave farmers unable to benefit from the original price surge, and then absorb the full pain of the collapse.

• Ivory Coast cut its 2026 farmgate price from 2,800 to 1,200 CFA francs/kg — a drop of over 57%

• Ghana cut farmer prices by approximately 30% and is raising $1 billion via domestic bonds to fund COCOBOD purchases

• Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus (CSSV) has already affected 81% of Ghana's cocoa-growing area

• Rising El Niño probability is increasing rainfall uncertainty in West Africa ahead of the 2026/27 season

For food manufacturers and ingredient buyers sourcing cocoa powder or cocoa liquor from West African origins, this situation is a reminder that supply stability requires watching farm-level economics — not just port arrivals and futures prices. Huanda Cocoa sources beans from Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana and processes them at our certified facility in Cambodia. We monitor origin conditions continuously as part of our procurement planning.

What Buyers Should Watch

• Payment resolution timeline: If the CCC settles outstanding payments quickly, the risk to next season's harvest is contained. If delays persist into planting season, reduced farm maintenance becomes a real supply risk.

• Farmer abandonment signals: Some farmers are already leasing land to illegal miners or switching to cassava and cashew. A measurable shift in land use would reduce Ivory Coast's structural cocoa output.

• EUDR compliance pressure: Large companies must comply with the EU Deforestation Regulation by December 30, 2026. Verified-origin beans are commanding premiums; unverified volumes are finding fewer willing buyers.

• El Niño watch: Irregular rainfall is already affecting mid-crop pod development in several growing regions. If the weather deteriorates further, a surplus year could tighten faster than current projections suggest.

Sources

• Reuters via Daily Maverick — Ivory Coast will send officials to calm protests by cocoa farmers (May 12, 2026)

• Africanews — Ivory Coast cocoa authority moves to ease tensions with farmers over unsold beans (May 13, 2026)

• West Africa Weekly — Ivory Coast Rushes to Calm Cocoa Farmer Protests (May 13, 2026)

• CNBC Africa — Ivory Coast will send officials to calm protests (May 12, 2026)

• Trading Economics — Cocoa Price Data (May 2026)

• CocoaIntel — Ivory Coast Cocoa Arrivals May 2026