Record heat rots cocoa beans threatening Ivory Coast agriculture

Abidjan (AFP) April 15, 2024

Surrounded by cocoa trees and intense heat, Christian Andre Yapi is forced to admit that the precious beans are no longer growing as they should, a major problem for the world's leading producer. "The beans are turning black," and rotting, he tells AFP at his plantation near Agboville, 70 kilometres (nearly 45 miles) from the economic capital Abidjan. "They are not growing properly becau