, Columnist
The Meltdown in Chocolate Is Coming
Decades of non-investment are coming home to roost.
What’s happening in West Africa will soon be felt in supermarkets around the world.
Photographer: TorriPhoto/Moment RFThis article is for subscribers only.
The evening I learned the unspoken truth about the cocoa market I was in Yamoussoukro, the colossal capital city of Ivory Coast.
“The problem with cocoa is that’s a poor man’s crop,” explained my dining companion, a government official-turned-businessman. “Do you see any commercial plantation around here? No,” he said. “And do you know why? Because prices aren’t high enough.”