A few days ago, the Ivorian government announced it would reduce the price paid to producers due to the decline in demand and, consequently, the value on the international market.

The cut, which in Ghana was around 30 percent, was more drastic in Ivory Coast, where it was set at 50 percent and, worse still, settled in promissory notes that the authorities of this West African country have been unable to redeem.

The situation has plunged producers into crisis, as they lack the funds to cover the expenses involved in replacing cocoa cultivation with another crop that would open new markets, domestic or international, while they wait for the lean times to pass and the elusive boom to return.

abo/jav/jha/msl