Ghana's cocoa could run out in the next 30 years because it will be harder to grow in a warming climate, experts have warned.

The cacao tree, from which we get the cocoa beans used to make chocolate, thrives only in humid conditions near the equator.

But the plant is under threat from diseases and a changing climate that will suck moisture from the soil and make it impossible to produce a good crop in many areas by 2050, some experts claim.

African nations Ivory Coast and Ghana produce more than half the world’s cocoa but are forecast to be hit by rising temperatures and droughts.

Farmers will be forced to move crops to higher ground, but there is limited space.

Doug Hawkins, of Hardman Agribusiness, says part of the problem is most cocoa is produced by poor families who cannot afford fertilisers and pesticides.

“All the indicators are that we could be looking at a chocolate deficit of 100,000 tonnes a year in the next few years,” he said.

Scientists funded by choc giant Mars are working on creating new genetically modified hybrids of the cacao tree that they hope can withstand hotter and drier weather and still produce high quality cocoa.