World’s Chocolate Supply Under Threat By Virus, Researchers Call for Cacao Trees To Be Vaccinated

Cacao trees in West Africa, where 50% of the world’s chocolate originates, are currently under threat by a virus that may jeopardize the global supply of chocolate.

In a new scientific study, researchers from the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana and the University of Kansas, Prairie View A&M, reported that the cacao swollen shoot virus disease (CSSVD), caused by tiny insects called mealybugs, has endangered cacao trees in the Ivory Coast and Ghana.

Harvests in the Ivory Coast...