Cocoa smuggling from Ivory Coast to Guinea has reached alarming levels, with an estimated 50,000 metric tons – valued at approximately $573 million based on current global prices – illegally transported between October and December, according to exporters.
The sharp rise in cocoa prices last year has provided an added incentive for smugglers. Sources told media that Ivorian cocoa smuggled across the border was sold at 5,000 CFA francs ($7.95) per kilogram, significantly higher than the 1,800 CFA francs per kg paid to farmers under the country’s fixed price as of September.
Once in Guinea, the cocoa is exported to Asian markets such as Indonesia and Malaysia.
“The corruption is fueling this smuggling, and we risk failing to meet our contract obligations,” said the director of a European export company based in Abidjan, the commercial capital of Ivory Coast.
Another Abidjan-based exporter echoed similar concerns, noting that the profits from smuggling were too tempting for suppliers to resist.
In December alone, about 8,500 tons of Ivorian cocoa were smuggled into Guinea on December 24.
Cocoa prices surged to a record $12,931 per metric ton in New York in December, driven by expectations of poor harvests for the fourth consecutive season from leading producers Ivory Coast and Ghana.
In response, the Ivorian government has ramped up efforts to curb the illegal trade, including measures to confiscate proceeds from smuggling, revoke passports, and suspend driving licenses. A source within the Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC) confirmed that additional actions were under consideration to combat the rising smuggling issue.