Ghana expects its cocoa harvest to drop 13% next season as adverse weather and disease hit production, according to people familiar with the matter, a setback that could further boost global prices of the bean.

The decline is linked to El Niño-related drought and swollen shoot disease, which have damaged crops across the country's main growing regions. Officials noted that reduced yields in West Africa's second-largest cocoa producer will likely tighten global supply.

This projection adds pressure to an already strained market, where chocolate makers face rising costs. Global cocoa prices have surged over the past year due to similar challenges in neighboring Côte d'Ivoire.

Industry analysts say the combination of climate volatility and crop diseases poses long-term risks to West African cocoa output, which together account for more than half of worldwide production.