Ivory Coast Seizes Hundreds of Tons of Smuggled Cocoa as Crackdown Intensifies

Ivory Coast, the world’s leading cocoa producer, has seized a substantial 594 tons of smuggled cocoa beans as part of a broader initiative to combat the illegal trade of the valuable crop, Bloomberg reports.

The crackdown, initiated at the beginning of the cocoa harvest in October, has also resulted in the arrest of 34 individuals and the confiscation of “heavy machinery,” according to Executive Secretary of the National Security Council Fidèle Sarassoro.

The intensified security operations are a response to years of rampant cocoa smuggling, driven by low prices paid to Ivorian farmers. This disparity in compensation has fueled a flow of cocoa beans across borders to neighboring countries, where less stringent regulations and higher prices offer greater financial incentives.

Ivory Coast and Ghana, which collectively account for approximately half of the world’s cocoa production, have been working together to curtail smuggling activities into countries like Liberia, Guinea, and Togo. These efforts include increasing payments to farmers and bolstering security measures along their shared borders.