Valentine’s Chocolate Faces New Threats

This Valentine’s Day, the sweet tradition of gifting chocolate is under pressure from a warming planet. Unusually fierce heatwaves and erratic rains are damaging cocoa farms across West Africa, the world’s main supplier.

At the same time, rapid deforestation to make way for agriculture is stripping the trees that stabilise the micro-climate cocoa needs, pushing prices into a volatile swing that could reach shoppers this February.

If you plan to buy chocolate for a loved one, you may notice higher price tags or fewer premium brands on shelves, as producers grapple with lower yields and rising costs.

The shift threatens not only the joy of gifting but also the livelihoods of millions of small-scale farmers who depend on cocoa, potentially sparking social unrest in producing regions across.