West Africa hard pressed to expand cocoa market share

Ghana and Ivory Coast account for two-thirds of the world’s cocoa supply, but unlike oil-producing countries, they are unable to influence prices that are historically too low to meet the basic needs of small planters. Some industry players have not forgotten the failure of the Alliance of Cocoa Producing Countries — formed in 1962 by Brazil, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Nigeria — to make any impact on the world market.