Ivory Coast Regulator to Buy 100,000 Tonnes of Surplus Cocoa as Sector Tensions Persist
Abidjan, January 20, 2026. Côte d’Ivoire’s cocoa regulator plans to purchase 100,000 metric tonnes of surplus cocoa in an effort to ease market congestion and protect producer incomes, according to Reuters, citing statements from the country’s agriculture minister.
According to a Reuters report, Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani, Ivory Coast’s Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, said the Conseil Café-Cacao (CCC) will intervene directly to absorb excess cocoa stocks currently held by producers.
“We have approximately 120,000 tonnes of cocoa in stock with the producers, but I think we will need to purchase around 100,000 tonnes in the coming days,” Adjoumani was quoted by Reuters as saying.
Surplus Linked to Anti-Smuggling Measures
Reuters reported that the surplus has been driven in part by stricter border controls aimed at reducing cocoa smuggling into neighbouring Ghana, Liberia and Guinea. These measures have kept more cocoa inside Côte d’Ivoire, while production from neighbouring countries has also been transported into Ivorian territory, adding to available supply.
The government has intensified security operations to prevent illegal cross-border cocoa flows, which authorities say undermine the country’s fixed farm-gate pricing system.
Port Congestion and Slower Exporter Purchases
According to Reuters, the excess supply has caused congestion at ports including San Pedro, where trucks carrying cocoa beans have reportedly been unable to unload in recent days.
The situation has been exacerbated by slower purchasing activity from exporters, a trend the minister linked to declining global cocoa prices. Reuters also noted that the CCC had already sold 85 percent of expected production before the start of the main crop harvest, limiting exporters’ ability to absorb additional volumes quickly.
Government Response and Policy Scope
“Our objective is to protect producers’ income and the country’s social stability,” Adjoumani said, according to Reuters. He added that the government is fully mobilised to address the issue.
The minister said the emergency purchasing mechanism would apply only to the main crop season and is intended as a temporary stabilisation measure.
Broader Sector Tensions
The Reuters report comes amid rising tensions within Côte d’Ivoire’s cocoa sector, where producer groups have voiced concerns over stock accumulation, cash flow pressures, and marketing delays. While the CCC has previously denied that cocoa commercialisation is structurally blocked, the decision to purchase surplus cocoa suggests authorities recognise the severity of the current bottlenecks.
Source: Reuters
