In the golden years after Ivory Coast won independence from France in 1960, cocoa plantations were the lush engine of prosperity. Millions of migrants helped build what would become the world’s biggest cocoa industry. Skyscrapers built on the proceeds turned Abidjan, the commercial capital, into a so-called “Manhattan of West Africa”. As the cocoa pods swelled, so did the nation’s self-confidence.

Today, the industry’s prospects appear decidedly sickly. Political turmoil that followed the outbreak of a civil war in 2002 has hindered the investment needed to replace ageing trees. Cocoa-growing, formerly a source of pride, has lost its prestige.