Assessment of World Cocoa Bean Stocks for the 2019/20 Season

Abidjan, 04 March 2021. The ICCO Expert Working Group on Stocks (EWGS) met via videoconference today, Thursday 4 March 2021 to review the level of estimated and identified world cocoa bean stocks as at the end of the 2019/20 cocoa year. The EWGS is composed of experts in the cocoa field who meet at the invitation of the ICCO.

LOCATION OF THE ESTIMATED AND IDENTIFIED COCOA BEAN STOCKS	30 SEPTEMBER 2018	30 SEPTEMBER 2019	30 SEPTEMBER 2020
Stocks in cocoa importing countries	1,110	1,107	1,086
Stocks in cocoa exporting countries	215	215	164
Cocoa beans in transit	74	85	70
Total estimated and identified stocks	1,399	1,407	1,320
Estimated and identified stocks as a percentage of statistically-derived stocks	79%	82%	76%
ICCO statistically-derived stocks	1,768	1,720	1,730

Notes:Totals and differences may differ due to rounding.

 

The EWGS now notes that a gap of 410,000 tonnes exists between the annual assessment of the estimated and identified cocoa bean stocks worldwide and the ICCO’s statistically-derived stocks figure. This is due to the existence of stocks held in non-reporting locations of which Asia is the most significant area.

While the ICCO Secretariat maintains, so far, its supply surplus estimate of 10,000 tonnes for 2019/20 as published in its latest QBCS, it may revise that figure in its next Bulletin due at the end of May 2021, taking into account the outcome of this survey.

For more information, please contact Carlos Follana, Marketing and Communication Coordinator, International Cocoa Organization, ICCO Building, II Plateaux ENA – Avenue Boga Doudou, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; Tel: +225 22 51 49 50/51 | Fax: +225 22 51 49 79 | E-mail: Carlos.Follana@icco.org