According to Reuters, in May 2024, the Ivory Coast's Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC) suspended around 40 cooperatives. These cooperatives were accused of hoarding cocoa beans with the intention of selling them at inflated prices, amidst a national supply shortage caused by adverse weather conditions and the spread of cocoa diseases. It is reported that these cooperatives and some independent buyers had stockpiled over 60,000 metric tons of cocoa since the mid-crop season began. This practice, though not illegal in itself, became problematic when it was used to drive up prices unfairly. While the official farmgate price was set at 1,500 CFA francs ($2.50) per kilogram, some cooperatives were demanding between 1,600 and 1,800 CFA francs at the ports of Abidjan and San Pedro. In response to these practices, the CCC suspended the trading activities of the implicated cooperatives and buyers, in order to stabilise the domestic market and prevent smaller exporters from being outcompeted by larger multinational companies willing to pay higher prices. While the CCC's actions were largely supported by exporters, Reuters reports that the situation revealed underlying tensions within the cocoa supply chain.