Ivory Coast cocoa farmers cut spending on inputs as sales slump, retailers say

ABIDJAN — Small retailers of fertilizers and crop protection products across Ivory Coast’s cocoa belt say up to 90% of their stocks remain unsold, as farmers and cooperatives grappling with losses from a troubled main crop season cut spending on plantation maintenance.

Interviews with 16 retailers in eight of the country’s main cocoa-producing basins showed sales have stalled since December, even though the key treatment period for farms that typically runs from April to June is under way.

“We are not selling anything,” said Olivier Silue, who runs two agro-input shops in the western town of Duékoué. “At the end of November, I had 95 tons of products. Today (May 12), I still have 92 tons.”

The drop in fertilizer and crop protection product sales could lead to lower yields and increased problems with pests and diseases in the world’s top cocoa grower, curbing production and potentially leading to a more balanced global market in the 2026/27 season.

There has been a significant global surplus this season which has helped to depress prices on the world market, although they have started to creep up over the past month as the Iran war boosts global fertilizer costs and an El Niño weather event looms.

Ivory Coast fixed a guaranteed farmgate price of 2,800 CFA francs ($5.03) per kg at the start of the 2025/26 main crop season in October, raising hopes that higher incomes would spur investment in fertilizers and fungicides.

Retailers responded by building larger stocks.

“We thought farmers would earn more and invest in maintaining their plantations,” said Mamadou Keita, who operates shops in Soubre, Buyo, Gueyo and near Tai National Park.

“But since January I have sold almost nothing out of the 168 tons I have in stock. It’s a loss-making investment.”

The anticipated spending failed to materialize after exporters scaled back purchases from December, following a sharp fall in global cocoa prices that squeezed margins.

Farmers struggled to sell beans at the official price, leaving stocks piled up across farms, cooperatives and buying agents, and resulting in protests last week in parts of the country.

The disruption forced the government and regulator to bring forward the mid-crop by a month and cut the guaranteed price from 2,800 to 1,200 CFA francs, slashing purchasing power across the sector.

Producers say they are now prioritizing basic needs over farm inputs, even though reduced use of fertilizers and pesticides risks lowering yields and increasing disease.

“We can barely afford food, so we’re not going to buy fertilizer,” said Émile Koffi Kouame, who farms seven hectares near Fengolo. “I lost everything in January and haven’t repaid last year’s fertilizer credit. Maintenance is not the priority.”

Others cited mounting debt.

“I have been offered inputs on credit, but I can’t take more,” said Bernard Akpale, who grows cocoa on five hectares near San Pedro. “I already owe too much after a bad season. I would rather not treat my fields this year.”

Thirteen farmers in key growing areas including San Pedro, Soubre, Meagui, Duékoué, Man, Abengourou, Adzope and Divo acknowledged that skipping treatments would likely boost pests and diseases and curb productivity, but said they had little choice.

“Everyone knows that without treatment you don’t get good yields,” said a cooperative official in Abengourou. “But this year we simply can’t afford it.”

Industry players warn the consequences could be significant for the next crop season, which starts on Sept. 1.

Without fungicides and fertilizers, plantations are more vulnerable to pests such as mirids and pod borers, as well as diseases like swollen shoot virus.

“Without proper treatment, pest pressure will rise and yields will decline,” said an Abidjan-based exporter. The exporter added that fertilizer use is also critical as many trees are ageing, noting that next season could be challenging.

The scale of the potential hit to production remains unclear, but the widespread reduction in farm maintenance has raised concerns across the supply chain that Ivory Coast’s output, already under pressure in recent years, could face fresh declines. — Reuters