However, the romance between the fruit and Ivory Coast is in crisis this year as scarce rainfalls will cause a drop in shipments of more than 28 percent during the first quarter of the 2023-2024 season.

The late arrival of heavy rains in the so-called cocoa belt is to blame for the drop in production, producers and counters of the pods of the fruit, the main ingredient of the sweet sin that is chocolate, agree.

Farmers reported a disease known as brown rot, which affects the cocoa pods and rots them.

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