Cocoa’s Moment, Tight Supply but Shifting Demand

What’s going on?

Global cocoa producers, particularly in West Africa home to over two thirds of world output are confronting serious production shortfalls.

The Côte d'Ivoire Ghana cocoa belt, already facing ageing trees, diseases, and labour issues, now faces a drought induced output drop of roughly 10 % for the 2025/26 season, according to industry sources.

Meanwhile, at the same time, global consumption is showing signs of weakness especially in processing heavy regions putting the market in a delicate balance.

Why it matters beyond the chocolate bar

• Supply risk: With major producing nations under strain, spare capacity is limited. Even minor weather or disease shocks can ripple into global availability.

• Demand vulnerability: High prices and macro headwinds are hitting confectionery sales in Europe and Asia, meaning demand may soften just when supply is tight.

• Priced-in expectations: Buyers and traders must now balance the risk of lesser supply with weaker demand.

  That ambiguity creates heightened volatility.

• Investor signal: The cocoa market shows how raw materials can pivot rapidly from tight core deficits into surplus or vice versa, offering a micro lesson for commodity watchers.

What to watch next

• Final crop estimates for 2025/26 from Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana: How the mid crop and main harvest deliver will determine market direction.

• Grinding/processing data in key regions: A drop in grindings often preludes demand weakness in cocoa intensive manufacturing. (Processing numbers in Europe and Asia are already sliding.)

• Weather and disease metrics: A wetter season or better pod survival could ease supply tension quicker than expected; conversely, new outbreaks or droughts may tighten further.

• Chocolate industry behaviour: Major firms’ contract changes, shifts to substitutes, or hedging strategies may signal structural shifts in demand.

Cocoa is no longer predictable. Even as production risks mount in West Africa, demand uncertainty is growing. That combination makes the commodity highly sensitive to shocks or surprises.

For buyers, processors and investors, what matters now is not simply “tight supply” or “soft demand” separately but how and when the imbalance shifts.

Monitoring the yield reports, processing data and macro trends will be crucial.