Threatening cacao plant diseases!

Cacao plant diseases causes 20% of the cocoa beans to be lost every year. Those cocoa beans are important as they are a crucial part in the making of chocolate. The losses could become horribly significant if these diseases are allowed to spread.

Plant diseases are the most important constraints to cocoa production. As of 2006, 4 million metric tons of cocoa beans are produced each year. The global chocolate market is worth $75 billion annually.

The three most important and damaging cacao plant diseases are black pod, frosty pod, and witches' broom. Black pod can occur anywhere in the world and has the biggest impact. Frosty pod and witches' broom are mainly restricted to tropical parts of America.

Frosty pod and witches' broom would devastate cocoa production in West Africa, where almost 70% of all production of the cocoa beans happens. In West Africa, either of those two diseases could reduce the production of cocoa beans by an additional one million metric tons per year!

For example: the Monilia pod rot, which is a fungus, has largely destroyed Costa Rica's chocolate exports. The symptoms include splotches of powdery white or yellow mold on the fruits. Because of the Monilia pod rot, Costa Ricans practically stopped growing cacao plants. Due to this disease, the Costa Rican production of cacao beans fell 73%, from 11,000 metric tons to just 3,000 metric tons.

Today, the only known way to control the spread of this pod rot is to hand-pick the infected pods before the fungus can release its spores. Can you imagine how much work this is when you've got tens and even hundreds of acres with cacao trees that might have infected pods?

By raising people's awareness of these cacao plant diseases, something can be done about it. Researches are in progress to find out how to bring these diseases under control before it is too late. We wouldn't to lose this melt-in-the-mouth-watering treat that we call chocolate! (I know that I don't!)

Although cacao plant diseases is something that you should be aware of, don't let it keep you from eating chocolate!

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