Forget global warming and fuel shortages... the world is facing a CHOCOLATE crisis

Get it while you can: The world is on the brink of a chocolate crisis, experts have warned

The world is on the brink of a chocolate supply crisis thanks to instability in cacao growing areas and soaring demand in developing countries, an expert has warned.

Professor David Guest of the University of Sydney's Faculty of Agriculture and Environment says farming methods used by cacao bean growers are in dire need of modernisation.

He warns that global production of cacao, the raw ingredient in chocolate, must increase nearly a quarter by 2020 to keep up with demand from China and other rising economies.

However, cacao growing regions remain some of the most undeveloped and unstable parts of the world and farmers face significant challenges in bringing production up to speed.

Professor Guest is set to deliver a lecture in Sydney tomorrow titled The Chocolate Crisis, which will address some of the problems farmers face, The Register reports.

He will warn: 'We're in a situation where chocolate manufacturers are anxious about meeting demand, as there's rapidly increasing chocolate consumption in developing economies, paired with instability in cacao growing areas.'

Dark, delicious and decadent, the rich flavour of chocolate has inspired passions, addictions and even literature for more than three thousand years.

Its raw ingredient, cacao, is produced from fruit of the tropical tree, Theobroma cacao, literally meaning 'food of the Gods'.

Not just appetising, it also has known health benefits, including reducing blood pressure and enhancing psychological happiness.

However the main cacao-producing regions are West Africa, South America, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, all areas vulnerable to threats of climate change, political instability, pests and diseases.

Madagascan cacao farmers: Cacao growing areas are among the least developed parts of the world, with farmers struggling to meet soaring demand



Professor Guest and his colleagues have travelled to some of these areas to promote sustainable farming practices for the prized bean.

He has worked with farmers to select better cacao genotypes, to teach improved methods of crop and soil management and find out what can be done to improve technical support given the constraints growers face.

Without education and access to modern methods, these growers face falling being unable to keep up with rising demand.

'One estimate is that global production will need to increase by one million tonnes per year by 2020 - from 3.6 million tonnes in 2009/2010 - to meet global demand,' Professor Guest told The Register, with increased Chinese interest in chocolate one reason for the rise.