The cocoa industry is currently facing a crisis, with this year’s cocoa trading price soaring to an unprecedented $10,000 per ton—a 400 percent increase from last year—stemming from diminished crop yields. Given cocoa’s indispensable role in chocolate-making, this surge has driven up chocolate prices and triggered concerns about the sustainability of global chocolate production.
West Africa, home to over half of the world’s cocoa trees, is at the center of this issue. The Republic of Cote d’Ivoire and the Republic of Ghana, in particular, are facing severe challenges from both natural disasters and human-induced factors, substantially impacting cocoa harvests.
Climate change, with its continuously rising temperatures and unpredictable torrential rains, makes it difficult for cocoa trees to thrive and leaves them vulnerable to diseases such as the swollen shoot virus. Human-induced factors are intensifying this crisis further. High maintenance costs for cocoa trees are unaffordable for farmers, most of whom have meager incomes, often forcing them to abandon their old farms in search of new arable land. Additionally, illegal mining driven by West Africa’s abundant mineral resources has not only destroyed numerous farms, but also compromised land quality, which compels more farmers to lease their land to miners for quick financial gains.
Photo: Freepik / 照片：Freepik提供
In response, governments in West Africa have begun implementing solutions. For instance, Ghana has secured a $200 million loan from the World Bank to restore cocoa plantations affected by disease and return them to farmers. The country has also established a task force for shielding cocoa farms from the adverse effects of mining. Moreover, several chocolate manufacturers are exploring cocoa alternatives to decrease reliance on traditional sources.
Though the problem originates in the seemingly distant countries of West Africa, its significant impact requires continual global attention to prevent chocolate from becoming a rare luxury in the future.
可可產業目前正面臨危機，今年可可交易價格飆升至前所未有的每噸10,000美元──比去年上漲400%──主要源於作物產量減少。鑑於可可在製作巧克力中不可或缺的角色，這波漲價推高了巧克力價格，並引發了對全球巧克力生產可持續性的擔憂。
西非擁有全球一半以上的可可樹，是這個議題的核心所在。尤其是象牙海岸共和國和迦納共和國，正面臨著自然災害和人為因素帶來的嚴峻挑戰，嚴重影響可可收成。
氣候變遷導致氣溫持續升高和不可預測的暴雨，使可可樹難以茁壯成長，並容易受到腫枝病毒等疾病的侵襲。人為因素正在進一步加劇這場危機。可可樹的高維護成本對大多數收入微薄的農民來說是難以負擔的，這常常迫使他們放棄舊農場去尋找新的可耕地。此外，受西非豐富礦產資源驅使的非法採礦不僅摧毀了眾多農場，還損害了土地品質，這迫使更多農民將土地出租給礦工以獲取快速的經濟利益。
為了應對這些問題，西非各國政府已開始實施解決方案。例如，加納從世界銀行獲得了2億美元的貸款，用於恢復受疾病影響的可可種植園並將其交還給農民。該國還成立了一個專案小組來保護可可農場免受採礦的負面影響。此外，一些巧克力製造商正在探索可可替代品，以減少對傳統來源的依賴。
儘管這個問題起源於看似遙遠的西非國家，但其重大影響需要持續的全球關注，以防止巧克力在未來成為稀有的奢侈品。
MORE INFORMATION
woes n. 困難；麻煩（恆用複數）
Republic of Cote d’Ivoire 象牙海岸共和國
（亦稱做 Ivory Coast）
Republic of Ghana 迦納共和國
torrential adj. 猛烈的；傾瀉似的
swollen shoot virus 腫枝病毒（一種寄生病毒，會導致可可樹葉片變色，根莖腫脹壞死）
meager adj. 微薄的；很少的
arable adj. 可耕的；耕作的
KEY VOCABULARY
1. unprecedented adj. 無先例的；空前的
Wesley set sales records for an unprecedented seven days in a row.
衛斯理連續七天創造出史無前例的銷售紀錄。
2. indispensable adj. 不可或缺的；必須的
As a traveling salesman, Larry’s smartphone is absolutely indispensable to him.
身為一位四處奔波的業務員，賴瑞的手機對他來說絕對不可或缺。
3. vulnerable adj. 易受影響的；脆弱的
The elderly are more vulnerable to diseases because our immune systems get weaker as we age.
老年人比較容易生病，因為我們的免疫系統會隨著我們老化而變弱。
4. maintenance n. 維護；保養；維持
With regular maintenance, the car should remain in good condition for several years.
有了定期的維護，這輛車應該可以在好幾年內都保持良好的狀況。
5. compromise v. 損害；妥協；讓步
Overfishing has compromised the health of the marine ecosystem.
過度捕魚已經危及海洋生態系統的健康。
6. lease v. 出租；租用
The landlord owns a number of houses and leases them to students at the nearby university.
這名房東擁有一些房子，並且把它們租給附近大學的學生。
7. plantation n. 種植園；農園
Long ago, slaves worked on plantations in the US, usually picking cotton.
很久以前，奴隸在美國的農園裡工作，通常採收棉花。
8. shield vt. 保護；庇護
The soldier dove behind a wall to shield himself from the force of the explosion.
這名士兵衝到牆壁的後方以躲避爆炸的威力。
9. adverse adj. 負面的；不利的
The teacher’s harshness had an adverse effect on Adam, who became afraid of asking for help.
這位老師的嚴厲對亞當造成了負面的影響，他變得害怕尋求幫助。
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