Brazil has halted cocoa imports from the Ivory Coast, citing significant phytosanitary risks and issues and concerns over the reliability of the supply chain.
Brazil has suspended imports of dried and fermented cocoa beans from the Ivory Coast, the world’s top cocoa producer, where the industry is struggling with declining exports. Published in the country’s official gazette on Tuesday, the decision reflects mounting dissatisfaction among Brazilian authorities over what they describe as shortcomings in export oversight from the leading cocoa supplier.
Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture stated that the suspension was prompted by a large influx of cocoa beans from neighboring countries into the Ivory Coast, raising concerns that beans from countries not authorized to export to Brazil may be mixed with Ivorian shipments. Authorities argue that this undermines traceability and poses a risk to Brazil’s biosecurity system.
According to officials, the ban will stay in place until Ivoirian authorities guarantee that exports do not include beans from nations “whose phytosanitary status is unknown and whose export to Brazil is of unauthorized origin.”
Brazil produced nearly 300,000 tons of cocoa in 2024, according to the national statistics agency. In 2025, trade data shows the country imported 42,000 tons of raw and roasted cocoa from the Ivory Coast.
The Federation of Agriculture and Livestock in Bahia, Brazil’s leading cocoa-producing state, stated that the import suspension followed a technical mission conducted in the Ivory Coast earlier this month.
Ivory Coast is currently struggling to sell its cocoa due to a slowdown in exports, driven by buyers’ liquidity issues and a drop in global prices. Analysts caution that the suspension may disrupt supply chains and strain trade relations if corrective steps are not taken.
