Ivory Coasts Alassance Ouattara Extends Cocoa-Shipment Ban To Month-End

Ivory Coast’s Alassane Ouattara, the internationally recognized winner of a disputed presidential election, extended a ban on cocoa exports until the end of the month, said Malick Tohe, an adviser to his administration.

“The ban has been extended until March 31,” Tohe said in an interview today from the commercial capital, Abidjan. Ouattara on Jan. 24 imposed the ban to cut off tax revenue to incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo, who refuses to step down.

All major cocoa exporters in Ivory Coast, the world’s biggest producer of the crop, have heeded the ban. About 440,000 metric tons of cocoa are currently stored in exporters’ warehouses near the port of Abidjan, said Tohe.

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