Largest Cocoa Producers in the World

Answer: (c) Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana

Topic: World Geography

Explanation: Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana are the world’s largest cocoa-producing countries, accounting for nearly 60% of global production. In 2022, Côte d’Ivoire produced 2.2 million tonnes, while Ghana produced 1.1 million tonnes. Together with Nigeria and Cameroon, these four West African countries produce around 70% of the world’s cocoa beans.

In Asia, Indonesia is the largest producer of cocoa which produced 667,000 tonnes in 2022.

Cocoa, a native to the Americas, was a valuable crop in the earliest South American cultures. The term cocoa originated from the Nahuatl word “cacahuatl”. Many believe that the plant first grew in the Amazon and upper Orinoco basins but the Mayans and the Aztecs eventually developed techniques to cultivate cocoa successfully. The plant was considered as a symbol of wealth for these civilizations and its beans were used as currency. Cocoa beans are the main ingredient for making chocolate.

Cocoa beans are produced in tropical zones around the Equator, where climate conditions are well suited for growing cocoa trees. About 70 percent of the world’s cocoa beans come from four West African countries: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon. The Ivory Coast and Ghana are by far the two largest producers of cocoa, accounting for more than 50 percent of the world´s cocoa.

Source(s):

Difficulty level: Moderate