ABIDJAN – Cargill has suspended cocoa grinding operations in Côte d’Ivoire for the first time in decades, as worsening bean quality underscores mounting supply chain challenges in the world’s largest producer.
According to local industry sources, the US-based supplier halted processing at its Ivorian facilities after encountering unusually high levels of waste material in beans, which reduce extraction yields and risk damaging equipment. CocoaRadar understands that Cargill rejected between 5–6% of beans in recent weeks, well above the usual 1% threshold.
Reports from News Ghana indicate that beans from the current mid-crop exhibit critically low fat content, elevated acidity, and excessive waste, rendering grinding operations unprofitable. The deterioration comes as Côte d’Ivoire battles climate-related production setbacks, mirroring challenges across West Africa’s cocoa belt.
Weather and Crop Pressure
The Ivorian mid-crop, typically harvested from April, is forecast at around 400,000 metric tonnes (MT) this year—down 9% from last year’s 440,000 MT, according to industry estimates. Rabobank analysts attribute much of the decline to late-arriving rains that stunted crop development.
“There is brown rot on the trees. We need a lot of sunshine, otherwise the losses will be enormous,” said Paul M’Bra, a farmer near Daloa, who reported rainfall last week at just 10mm - 18.1mm below the five-year average.