00:00Ghana is warning of a sharp drop in cacao production next season with output expected to fall by at least
00:0616%.
00:07The country's cacao regulator says a combination of erratic weather, crop disease and the cacao tree's natural low-yield cycle
00:16is behind the decline.
00:17Heavy rains, the threat of El Niño and swollen shoot disease have all taken a toll on farms,
00:24particularly in the western and western north regions which produce more than half of Ghana's cacao.
00:30Illegal gold mining is also worsening the crisis, with cacao farms increasingly being taken over by miners.
00:38Authorities say they are expanding disease control, restoring infected farms and bringing back free fertiliser to help farmers recover.
00:47The warning comes as neighbouring Ivory Coast, the world's largest cacao producer, is also forecasting a significant drop in output,
00:54raising fresh concerns over global cacao supplies.
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