• Producers in Ituri see prices fall to $2.70/kg; poor fermentation blamed

• Gov’t targets 3M tons by 2030, eyes reforms and security for plantations

Export prices for cocoa, a key commodity for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), have plummeted sharply, according to the External Trade Ministry’s latest commodity price index for the period of October 20 to 25, 2025.

The official index, based partly on international prices, showed that the value of one kilogram of good quality beans ranged from $5.30 to $5.60 at border posts like Matadi, East, and Zongo. This represents a steep 40% drop compared to the period of June 23 to 28, 2025, a trend impacting all cocoa grades.

The decline has also reached local producers. In Ituri province, specifically the Irumu and Mambasa territories, the price per kilogram of cocoa paid to farmers fell from 20,000 to 6,000 Congolese francs (FC), or approximately $2.70.

Dieudonné Kambale, an agronomist at ESCO Kivu, a major exporter in the eastern part of the country, attributed the collapse partly to poor local fermentation practices, according to comments reported by 7sur7.cd. Kambale noted that cocoa should be fermented for a week, but producers are often exposing the beans directly to the sun for only two or three days before sale. This assessment echoes concerns raised in July by Mumbere Musumba Jackson, the head of agricultural product buyers in the region.

Kambale also cited a rise in African cocoa output. This increased production is due to improved weather conditions in West Africa, the world's primary growing region, and successful control measures against the swollen shoot virus, which had previously depressed yields.

The improving supply outlook has boosted confidence in sector giants Ivory Coast and Ghana, both of which anticipate strong harvests. Ghana, in particular, forecasts more than 650,000 metric tons for the 2025/2026 season, according to its Minister of Agriculture, as reported by Ecofin Agency.

Meanwhile, the global chocolate industry is actively seeking to reduce its reliance on cocoa beans and cocoa butter. Several major companies are investing in substitutes, such as cocoa pulp and certain vegetable oils. Nestlé, one of the five largest players in the sector, announced a new chocolate formulation last August that utilizes 30% of byproducts from the cocoa fruit, including the pulp previously discarded, thereby reducing the proportion of beans in its products.

These global dynamics unfold as the DRC’s Minister of Agriculture, Muhindo Nzangi, recently reaffirmed the country’s ambition to become the world's leading cocoa producer within five years, aiming for a production target of 3 million metric tons by 2030. National cocoa production stood at only 100,000 metric tons in 2024, according to the External Trade Ministry.

To achieve this ambitious goal, the government plans to create a special brigade to protect plantations from attacks by ADF rebels, who are accused of exploiting the crop to finance their activities. Other measures include reducing the export file processing time to 24 hours and relaunching the 5,000-hectare Bengamisa cocoa plantation (CABEN) in Kisangani, Tshopo province, which has been abandoned for 25 years.

Timothée Manoke