Global warming could make chocolates expensive

A study of cocoa plantations in Cote d' Ivoire and Ghana, which grow over half the world's cocoa, found that the average for production could halve owing to a temperature rise of just 2.3 degrees Celsius by 2050.

Peter Laderach of the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture said chocolate will certainly become more expensive if demand continues to rise and climate change causes shortages of cocoa, making it a luxury item.

Recent political upheavals in West Africa have already pushed up the price by 10 percent on the trading floor to almost 2,000 pounds per tonne, the Telegraph reports.

Higher demand and shortages due to climate change will push up the price further, eventually forcing retailers to put up the price of chocolate bars, said the study commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Cadbury and Nestlé have recently pushed up the recommended retail price of top-selling confectionery in Britain such as Dairy Milk, Wispa, Kit Kat and Yorkie by up to seven percent - more than double the rate of inflation.

Cocoa trees need a cool climate to thrive and could be moved further up into higher land but since West Africa is fairly flat the potential for this is limited. Other products reportedly affected by climate change include French wine and Italian pasta.