Africa's Top 'BitterSweet' Chocolate Producers

Cameroon is a key player in cocoa production. Ivory Coast and Ghana produce 60% of the world’s cocoa. In Ivory Coast, leader of the top cocoa producers in the world, the cash crop accounts for over 60% of its trade revenue. Chocolate manufacturers such as Nestle and Cadbury receive much of their cocoa from Ivory Coast. Ghana is the second leading cocoa manufacturing country. Cocoa is critical to the country, accounting for 1/6th of the economy’s GDP. Next in line are Indonesia (EIDO), Nigeria (NGE), Cameroon, Brazil (EWZ), Ecuador, Mexico (EWW), Peru (EPU), and the Dominican Republic, all contributing an outsized share of world cocoa production. Now, the price of cocoa has been sliding over the past year on account of a supply glut, leaving a bitter taste in these nations, which are exceptionally dependent on the soft commodity. More