Question 34 from UPSC CSE 2024 - Current Affairs (Geograp hy)

Question

Which of the following countries are well known as the two largest cocoa producers in the world?

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana

Strategy: Focus on geographic suitability for cocoa: the crop thrives in humid, equatorial regions. The names 'Cote d'Ivoire' (Ivory Coast) and 'Ghana' are both associated with West Africa, long recognized as the world's cocoa hub. Other options list countries from dry or non-equatorial regions, obviously unsuitable for large-scale cocoa cultivation. This makes option C the only plausible answer.

Key Info: Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) is a tropical crop native to Central and South America but is now primarily cultivated in equatorial regions with consistent rainfall and warm temperatures. West African countries dominate global cocoa production.

### Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
* World's top cocoa producer, accounting for roughly 40% of global supply.
* Annual production often exceeds 2 million metric tons.
* Major cocoa-producing regions include Abengourou, Divo, and San Pedro.

### Ghana
* Second largest producer globally, supplying over 1 million metric tons annually.
* Cocoa is a vital export crop and a major contributor to Ghana's GDP.
* The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) oversees the sector.

Other major producers: Nigeria, Cameroon, Ecuador, and Brazil follow but are far behind Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana by volume.

### Cocoa requirements
* Grows best between 20°N and 20°S of the equator.
* Needs rich, well-drained soils and evenly distributed annual rainfall between 1,500mm-2,000mm.

Countries in options A, B, D (Algeria, Morocco, Botswana, Namibia, Madagascar, Mozambique) lack both the climate and large-scale production capacity for cocoa; these are more arid or subtropical.

Cocoa's global significance lies in its use as the primary raw material for chocolate production, and its cultivation supports millions of smallholder farmers, especially in West Africa.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option A: Algeria and Morocco

IASCODEX · Answer

Option B: Botswana and Namibia

IASCODEX · Answer

Option D: Madagascar and Mozambique