ABIDJAN: Trucks carrying thousands of tonnes of cocoa have been blocked in the main port of Ivory Coast, the world’s top producer, as authorities have temporarily stalled exports, sources said Friday.
There are nearly “700 trucks blocked here at the port in Abidjan,” Ivory Coast’s economic capital, said Moussa Kone, head of the national cocoa producers’ union.
He said trucks filled with cocoa have also been stranded in San Pedro, the country’s second port, for several days.
“Since December 22, we have been coming here in trucks filled with cocoa but are not being received by the authorities at Abidjan port,” said Mohamed Toure, a driver.
Industry sources said the authorities were blocking cocoa exports because of a difference in the price set by the national cocoa council and that in the London futures trading price.
Cocoa represents 15 percent of Ivory Coast’s GDP and more than 50 percent of its export earnings, according to the World Bank.-APP
