Ivory Coast is intensifying efforts to combat cocoa smuggling after an estimated 50,000 metric tonnes of cocoa, valued at approximately $573 million, were illegally transported between October and December 2024, according to exporters.
Rising cocoa prices, which more than doubled last year, have fueled the illicit trade. Smugglers reportedly earn 5,000 CFA francs ($7.95) per kilogram in Guinea, far above Ivory Coast’s fixed farmer price of 1,800 CFA francs per kilogram. Once across the border, the smuggled cocoa is exported to Asian markets, including Indonesia and Malaysia.
Exporters warned that smuggling could undermine supply for legal contracts. “Corruption is accelerating smuggling, and our suppliers are prioritizing the more lucrative illegal trade,” said a director of a European export company in Abidjan.
The government has introduced measures to curb smuggling, including confiscating proceeds from offenders, revoking passports, and suspending driving licenses. Authorities, led by the Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC), are exploring additional strategies to address the issue.
In December, cocoa prices reached a record $12,931 per metric tonne in New York, driven by predictions of poor harvests for a fourth consecutive season in Ivory Coast and Ghana, the world’s leading cocoa producers.