Ghana Cocoa Crop Set for 12-Year Low After Drought, Mine Damage
- Illegal small-scale miners damaged swathes of plantations
- Cocoa harvest also suffered from long drought early in season
Dried cocoa beans outside of Kumasi, Ghana.
Photographer: Jane Hahn/Bloomberg
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Ghana is heading for its smallest cocoa crop in 12 years after drought withered pods and illegal gold miners damaged plantations, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
Preliminary data shows the world’s second-largest producer will harvest an estimated 685,000 tons of beans in the season through September, down from a record crop of about 1.05 million tons the previous year, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they’re not authorized to speak publicly.