World cocoa production

Cocoa is of significant economic importance both for producing and consuming countries. It generates export revenues, income and employment. Cocoa is an important ingredient in the confectionery, and food and beverage industries, and, more recently, in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) is harvested primarily for its purplish beans, which are used to create cocoa liquor, butter and powder, the primary ingredients in chocolate. The origins of the crop are rooted in the Americas, where the Mayans and Aztecs consumed the beans in the form of xocolatl, a cold chili pepper–flavoured cocoa drink.

Since 1960, world cocoa production has increased threefold, from 1.2 to 3.6 million tonnes. This growth was punctuated by several jolts caused by structural adjustment policies, crop infestations, diseases and market speculation, all of which have affected production.

In 2014/2015, 4.031 million metric tons of cocoa beans were produced in more than 50 countries on 0.2 per cent of the world’s agricultural land, for a total export value of US$8.4.

Africa remains the largest cocoa producing region. For the 2013/14 crop year, it was estimated that the continent produced roughly 3.2 million tons of cocoa beans, representing 73 percent of global production, the two leading producing countries being Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. Globally, cocoa is produced by five to six million farmers and contributes to the livelihoods of 40 to 50 million people.

In 2012, 22 per cent (899,000 metric tons) of the world’s cocoa was produced in compliance with a global sustainability standard (adjusting for multiple certification), with one-third of compliant production actually sold as compliant.

Grindings in cocoa importing countries are estimated to have increased by nearly two per cent, to 2.325 million tonnes in the 2015/2016 cocoa year. In Germany, grindings rose by 23,000 tonnes to 438,000 tonnes and in The Netherlands, grindings activities are estimated to have increased by 17,000 tonnes to 520,000 tonnes.

In 2010, the United States and Germany accounted for a combined 20 percent of the world’s total cocoa consumption. Unsurprisingly, Germany was also Europe’s leading chocolate producer in 2012. During the same year, U.S. brand Hershey’s generated 3.72 billion U.S. dollars in chocolate sales.
World cocoa production