Ghana's cocoa production output reached 429,323 metric tons at the end of the harvest in June this year, according to data released by the cocoa regulator, COCOBOD.

Reuters reports that this production output is less than 55 percent of the average seasonal output.

The decline in cocoa output has been attributed to disastrous harvests caused by poor weather conditions, swollen pod disease, and illegal mining activities, particularly in Ghana.

These developments, along with supply chain disruptions, have pushed up the prices of cocoa on the international market.

Cumulatively, Ghana and Ivory Coast account for about 60 percent of the global supply of cocoa beans.

The latest data from COCOBOD, obtained by the international news portal Reuters, did not provide information on cocoa production that may have been trafficked into Ghana illegally.

COCOBOD, however, declined to provide data on the equivalent production through June of the two previous seasons. The full crop season output was 683,269 tons in 2021/22 and 656,140 tons in the last season.

On June 21, COCOBOD announced the beginning of the light crop season with the producer price set at GH¢993.60 per load of 30 kilograms for Grade I and II cocoa beans. Naked ex-scale cocoa beans were priced at GH¢2,070.00 per bag of 64 kilograms gross.

Additionally, a tonne of 16 bags was priced at GH¢33,120.00 for the light crop season.

MA/NOQ