Opinion Bitter dreams

If there’s a distinction between the emotion we feel when something dear is suddenly taken away from us and that we feel anticipating a loss,it’s the suspension of belief that goes with holding on to the last vestiges of what may soon be no more. But what does it mean to hold on to a consumer perishable like chocolate? And where is the human animal that relishes chocolate that is also capable of putting away those bars as long as possible? Unless it’s bad teeth — often a consequence of bad chocolate karma — or unwanted weight gain?

Unfortunately,there seems to be no end to doomsday forecasts at our historical moment. Something always appears to be approaching its endgame. For chocolate lovers,the bad news is from the Ivory Coast. The world’s largest cocoa producer is in the midst of political unrest. However,the stand-off between a president who won’t vacate office and another who’s recognised internationally may finally elicit more than faint airings of displeasure in distant capitals. Why? Because the world’s sustainable supplies of cocoa may soon be exhausted,as early as 2014. The Ivory Coast has become a no-go area for cocoa traders and new farmers cannot be trained. Although Ghana,the second largest cocoa producer,is witnessing a spurt in smuggled cocoa from its neighbour,the price is much higher.

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If chocolatiers are to be believed,we may soon have to pay a king’s ransom,with cocoa prices reportedly at their highest in 30 years. Some others argue that a manifold price rise is irrelevant as there simply isn’t enough certified cocoa left. The EU,moreover,froze the assets of Ivory Coast’s cocoa- and coffee-exporting ports on January 14,even as the Ivory Coast curbed cocoa exports. If the chocolate lover’s nightmare is political turmoil in a cocoa superpower,will talk of a chocolate drought subside when that ends? Or is there no catcher left in the rye?