Thrillers and Suspense
News of the decline of Ivorian cocoa production might be premature. I have reported earlier that a consensus estimate put Ivorian output for the current cocoa year at 1-1.15 million tons, quite a bit below the 1.4 million tons the country had achieved only a few years ago. But that consensus is no longer holding.
Continue reading “Ivorian Harvest Much Better Than Expected, So Far…”
Reuters reports that Cameroonian farmers have held back some of their cocoa from the market in order to push prices higher. As a result, prices have increased from CFAF1,150 ($2.66) per kilo in October to CFAF1,375 ($3,18) per kilo in November.
Continue reading “Cameroon Farmers Hoard Cocoa, Get Higher Prices”
The Ivorian President Gbagbo’s two-day visit to Ghana ended with a joint communique expressing the two countries’ resolve to influence international cocoa prices. The communique pointed out that increases in production have not yielded comparative increases in revenue for the countries. It further criticized the impact of global commodity cartels on cocoa prices. Finally, Gbagbo and Ghanaian President Mills reaffirmed their support for moving the headquarters of the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) from London to Abidjan.
Continue reading “Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire to Cooperate on Cocoa Prices”
Ghana’s Finance Minister Dr Kwabena Duffuor today announced the new cocoa producer price for the 2009-10 season. Farmers will receive GH¢2,208 ($1,511) per ton or GH¢138 ($94.50) per bag of cocoa. That’s a 35 percent increase over last year’s producer prices and about 71 percent of the FOB price of cocoa. With the current cocoa prices hovering around $3,300 per ton, I’m not sure how the 71 percent number was calculated. But the report indicated that the new price is the highest price ever paid to farmers.
Continue reading “Ghana Cocoa Board Increases Producer Prices”
Ghana defied expectations and increased production for the cocoa year that ended on September 30. Despite smuggling and initially low deliveries, total cocoa production reached 703,000 tons, according to a report by the Ghana Broadcasting Company. This is the first time that Ghana has surpassed 700,000 tons.
