Cocoa farmers in Ivory Coast brace for US tariff fallout

The Trump administration has threatened to impose large-scale tariffs on all cocoa products from the Ivory Coast, a move that has raised concerns about destabilizing the West African nation’s economy.

According to the Associated Press, the proposed tariffs–set at approximately 21%-would make the Ivory Coast the most heavily tariffed West African nation. As the world’s single largest producer of cocoa, the country exports between 2 and 2.5 million tons annually. 

In 2023, the Ivory Coast exported $3.86 billion worth of cocoa beans, with the United States ranking among the top importers, alongside Belgium, Malaysia, and the Netherlands. 

Although the Trump administration has paused the implementation of these tariffs for 90 days, the potential impact on the value of goods and market stability is already being felt in the country.

According to Boss Diaria, a local farm coordinator of a farmers’ union in Bouafle, in central Ivory Coast, “Donald Trump’s customs tax is causing us problems.”. He went on to say that farmers are” already feeling its effects” in terms of the prices they can sell their goods for and the growing difficulty in finding buyers. 

In addition to the pressure from potential US tariffs, climate change  has also taken a toll on the cocoa industry. Research from the UK-based Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit shows that the price of imported cocoa has risen by 32%.

This sharp rise is largely attributed to extreme weather patterns–brought on by climate change- affecting cocoa production in major exporting countries, including the Ivory Coast.

The looming tariffs on the Ivory Coast are part of a broader set of trade policies enacted by the Trump administration. As previously reported by Maghrebi, in March the administration imposed a 50% tariff on all steel and aluminium products from Canada. That decision led to a spike in goods prices and dealt economic blows to both countries.

Associated Press, Maghrebi