Cocoa production in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Cocoa is grown as a cash crop in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), primarily in the eastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, with smaller operations in the country's west. The cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao) was introduced to the country in the late 19th century, but it was not until the 1920s and 1930s that cocoa plantations were established along the Congo River. Colonial-era production of cocoa peaked just before the DRC's independence in 1960 and stagnated afterwards.
The industry has seen a revival since 2007, with recent outputs surpassing colonial-era records. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reported an output of 35,000 tonnes of cocoa from the DRC in 2023. However, Congolese cocoa farmers face disproportionately high levels of theft and violence, as most established plantations are located in conflict-ridden areas. Cocoa farming has also been linked to deforestation in the DRC.
The cocoa tree arrived in what is now the DRC in the late 19th century, when the country was privately controlled by Leopold II of Belgium as the Congo Free State. However, organised production did not begin until the 1920s and 1930s, when cocoa plantations were established along the Congo River. About 20,000 hectares (49,000 acres) of land, mostly in the western DRC, were set aside to grow cocoa.[1] This grew to a peak of 25,000 hectares (62,000 acres) by the time of DRC's independence from Belgium in 1960. The industry's growth, however, halted after independence due to colonial plantation owners leaving the DRC.[1]
