Cocoa

The world’s top-5 producers of cocoa are Côte d'Ivoire, Indonesia, Ghana, Ecuador, and Nigeria. Together, they represented 73% of global cocoa production in 2024. Cocoa is one of the seven commodity groups in scope of the European Union Deforestation Regulation. For the six cocoa products (beans, shells, paste, butter, powder, chocolate) covered under the Regulation, cocoa beans constituted an import share of 62% in the 27 EU member states in 2024. With several countries recently strongly growing on their cocoa sector, including Brazil, Nigeria, and Cameroon, there is a risk for an increase in cocoa-related deforestation. Historically, deforestation associated with the production of cocoa is estimated at 3 million hectares between 2001-2023, mostly in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Peru. But more than deforestation alone, cocoa production is associated with various labour issues, including working conditions analogous to slavery and child labour.