Chocolate Lovers, African Cocoa Farmers Pay Price as Big Brands See Profits

FILE - Cocoa pods hang on a tree in Divo, west-central Ivory Coast, Nov. 19, 2023. With exports from the Ivory Coast, the world's top producer, down by a third in recent months, the global price of cocoa has risen sharply. FILE - A farmer opens a cocoa pod in Divo, west-central Ivory Coast, Nov. 19, 2023. About three-quarters of the world's cocoa — the main ingredient in chocolate — are produced on cacao trees in Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Cameroon. FILE - Cocoa beans dry in Divo, west-central Ivory Coast, Nov. 19, 2023. Shoppers in Europe, the United States and elsewhere are paying more for Easter sweets as changing climate patterns take a toll on cocoa supplies and farmers.

Shoppers may get a bitter surprise in their Easter baskets this year. Chocolate eggs and bunnies are more expensive than ever as changing climate patterns eat into global cocoa supplies and the earnings of farmers in West Africa.