Life is truly getting serious – Chocolate supply is under threat
This news truly grabbed my attention!
In an interview with CNN, John Mason, executive director and founder of the Ghana-based Nature Conservation Research Council (NCRC) says, “I think that in 20 years chocolate will become so rare and so expensive that the average Joe just won’t be able to afford it,”
This is due to the increasing costs from the production of the cacao bean. According to NCRC, crop yields are declining in West Africa, where most of the beans are sourced. This seems in large part due to the unsustainable manner in which the beans are grown-the soil is being degraded and can no longer support the crops.
Like coffee, cocoa is traditionally grown in tropical environments under shade, similar to coffee plantations. However, hybrid varieties have been developed to grow in full sun that will result in a higher crop yield but more rapidly degrades the quality of the soil, and greatly reduces the life span of the individual plant.
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