Chocolate industry in danger? A virus could be threatening the market; know what is being done about it

New Delhi: A virus is currently spreading in cacao trees in West Africa and this is likely to take a toll on the supply of chocolates. The swollen shoot virus is being spread by mealybugs, a fuzzy insect that thrives in hot climates. The virus is described as one of the most ecologically devastating creatures on the planet and it has so far wiped off 50,000 hectares of cacao farms in Ghana – the world’s second largest chocolate producer. But is this likely to take a toll on the global supply of chocolates? Perhaps.

Although scientists at the universities in the US and Ghana discovered a new way to stop the virus and save the world’s chocolates, it is concerning whether this would hamper the global supply chain of the favourite sweet treat.

Why is the world’s supply of chocolate threatened?

50% of the world’s chocolates come from Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Cacao trees in these areas, however, were ravaged by swollen shoot virus. While the are cracked and peeled by farmers in Columbia but the virus spreads by small insects, known as the mealybugs, that eat leaves, buds, and flowers of the cacao trees. Ghana has over 254 million trees and 20% of the crop in Ivory Coast are infected.

How are chocolates made?

Chocolates are made from cacao beans that grow in tropical climates. They are fermented, dried and roasted and the ground up. This powder is then mixed with milk and sugar to make chocolate. In 2022, the Ivory Coast produced 2.2 million tonnes of cacao and Ghana produced 1.1 million. The world’s thirst largest producer of the same, Indonesia, produced 667,000 tonnes in 2022. While the heatwave has made matters worse, the mealybug and warm temperatures make matters worse. According to an expert at The University of Texas at Arlington, this virus could be a threat to the world’s supply of chocolate.

Can the virus be stopped?

It has been found that pesticides are ineffective against the mealybugs and that makes it harder to stop the virus. The cheapest way is to cut down the infected trees and plant resistant trees instead. Farmers can also give the trees a vaccine. But because it is expensive, it has a knock-on effect of that of cacao produced by trees. Scientists at the University of Kansas, Prairie View A&M, the University of South Florida and the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana have come up with methods to combat the virus.

According to experts, planting the trees at a distance can help prevent the bug from jumping from tree to tree and spreading the virus. Researchers also used mathematical data to work the distance to plant trees to minimise the spread. While still in experiment, this is likely to help farmers protect their crop.

Is mealybug the only threat to world’s chocolate supply?

Earlier, black pod disease also threatened chocolate produce. The disease turns cacao pods black or brown and it destroyed 30% of the world’s annual cocoa crops in 2022. Heavy rains in the region further spreasd the disease as the infection thrived in moist conditions.