Ecuador, the world´s biggest producer of fine cocoa, used in the production of fine chocolate, will probably lose up to 15% of the cocoa production this year after the heavy rains hit the coastal regions.


ANECACAO (National Association of Cocoa Exporters), reduced the projection of 2015 to 230.000 tons, from a projection that was going from 260.000 to 280.000 tons.
Abnormal rains started from April and have affected the mid-year production, damaging the trees’ flowers, which will be seen at beginnings of September.
The bad weather that going through Ecuador produces even more problems than those faced in East Africa, where flooding in Ivory Coast and Ghana, first cocoa producers in the world, have blocked roads making the cocoa rot in the trees.
Ivan Ontaneda, president of ANECACO and ECO-KAKAO S.A., stated that “at this time due to the heavy rain we´ve had, many flowers in the cocoa trees have fallen, which means that the main production will be reduced by an important volume.”
Near 30%-40% of the production in the coastal province of El Oro has been affected, said Ontaneda, in the province of Los Rios, near 15%-20% of the cocoa trees has been affected, in the north in the province of Esmeraldas a 20% of the production has been affected. The main production in Ecuador starts in September and goes all through March.