Cocoa traders, cooperatives and buying agents in Ivory Coast are struggling to adapt to a new national traceability system introduced ahead of European Union rules aimed at preventing commodities linked to deforestation from entering the bloc.
The difficulties come as the 2026/27 cocoa season gets underway, with exporters warning that problems with the system could slow purchases and deliveries during the early months of the season, raising the risk of supply disruptions in October and November.
Ivory Coast is the world’s largest cocoa producer, accounting for about 40% of global production, and sends around 70% of its cocoa exports to Europe. Any significant disruption to its exports could therefore affect international supplies and prices.
The European Union’s anti-deforestation regulation is scheduled to apply from January 1, 2027, requiring commodities such as cocoa to be fully traceable to their origin and ensuring they are not linked to recently deforested land.
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To prepare for the requirements, Ivory Coast’s Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC) has introduced an electronic producer card for cocoa purchases. The system is intended to track cocoa through the supply chain and help verify that the beans meet the sustainability requirements expected by European buyers.
The CCC made use of the electronic producer card mandatory from September 1, coinciding with the beginning of the new cocoa season. However, traders, cooperatives and field agents in some cocoa-producing areas are still struggling to use the digital tools effectively.
A director of a European export company based in Abidjan said the industry had been receiving information about the system, but many people were still unfamiliar with the technology.
“The main issue is that buyers, cooperatives and field agents have not yet mastered the new digital purchasing and traceability tools,” the director said.
Exporters have also reported shortages of equipment needed to conduct purchases in rural cocoa-growing communities. Some cooperatives and agents have yet to receive payment terminals, bags and seals required to process and identify cocoa shipments.
Another director at a European export company said the shortage of equipment was extending purchasing times and delaying deliveries from rural areas.
The CCC said it had completed setting up payment terminals and was distributing equipment according to purchase volumes recorded during the previous season. The regulator also said it had bought 20,000 new payment terminals.
Yves Brahima Kone, director of the Coffee and Cocoa Council, acknowledged that the rollout had encountered some difficulties but said the problems were not serious.
“Even though things are moving slowly for now, we expect purchases to pick up over time, and we’ll work through any issues that come up,” Kone said. He added that it could take a few months for the system to operate more smoothly.
The challenges are significant because Ivory Coast’s cocoa sector plays a major role in the global chocolate supply chain. Prolonged difficulties in purchasing and exporting beans could affect supplies at a time when producers and international buyers are preparing for the EU’s new requirements.
The traceability system is therefore being closely watched by traders and exporters as the 2026/27 season progresses. While the government expects the digital system to improve the tracking of cocoa and help the country meet European requirements, industry participants must ensure that farmers, buyers and cooperatives can use the technology efficiently.
With the EU regulation approaching, the effectiveness of Ivory Coast’s new system could have important consequences for the country’s cocoa exports and its continued access to one of its largest markets.
