Côte d’Ivoire’s Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC) has successfully sold 850,000 metric tonnes of cocoa export contracts for the 2025/26 season, achieving the milestone one month ahead of schedule, according to two CCC sources quoted by *Reuters* on July 10. The contracts cover exports for the October-to-March main harvest period, positioning the world’s top cocoa producer well on course to reach its reduced forward sales target of 1.3 million tonnes.
The CCC had earlier lowered its annual forward sales target from 1.7 million tonnes to 1.3 million tonnes in recent years to reduce the risk of delivery defaults amid growing climate and disease-related challenges. This year’s early success comes despite warnings from July crop surveys of excessive rainfall, high mortality of flowers and cherelles, and the emergence of black pod disease in regions responsible for roughly 75% of national cocoa output.
Despite these risks, CCC officials say the regulator is holding firm on its sales strategy for now, with further assessments due in mid-August. “We have a head start, which makes it easier to adjust if necessary,” one official said, noting that the CCC has room to reduce sales by 50,000 to 100,000 tonnes if confirmed crop declines warrant a revision.