The current shortages are driven by lower production in West Africa [1] (which accounts for two-thirds of the global crop), not by speculation.<p>The reasons for the lower production include drier weather due in part to climate change, a resurgence of the swollen-shoot disease that affects cocoa plants, and illegal mining affecting land on which cocoa is grown.<p>[1]. <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/91065690/cocoa-beans-production-supply-shortage-why" rel="nofollow">https://www.fastcompany.com/91065690/cocoa-beans-production-...</a>