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Q5 (IAS/2024) Geography › World Human & Economic Geography › World agriculture patterns Official Key

Which of the following countries are well known as the two largest cocoa producers in the world ?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: C
Explanation

Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana in West Africa are the world's largest cocoa producers, together contributing over 60% of global cocoa production volume.[3] More specifically, Côte d'Ivoire is the largest cocoa producer in the world, supplying roughly 40% of global cocoa demand[6], while Ghana is the second largest cocoa producer in the world, contributing to 25% of global cocoa production.[7]

The other options can be ruled out as none of these countries are major cocoa producers. Cocoa is more extensively cultivated in West Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, with Ghana and the Ivory Coast being the two most important producers.[8] Algeria, Morocco, Botswana, Namibia, Madagascar, and Mozambique are not among the leading cocoa-producing nations globally. Therefore, option C is unequivocally correct.

Sources
  1. [1] https://www.wri.org/insights/hidden-benefits-cacao-waste
  2. [2] https://www.wri.org/insights/hidden-benefits-cacao-waste
  3. [3] https://www.wri.org/insights/hidden-benefits-cacao-waste
  4. [4] https://www.unido.org/sites/default/files/unido-publications/2023-01/PCP-diagnostics-Ivory-Coast-en.pdf
  5. [5] https://www.unido.org/sites/default/files/unido-publications/2023-01/PCP-diagnostics-Ivory-Coast-en.pdf
  6. [6] https://www.unido.org/sites/default/files/unido-publications/2023-01/PCP-diagnostics-Ivory-Coast-en.pdf
  7. [7] https://www.undp.org/foodsystems/ghana-sustainable-cocoa
  8. [8] Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 15: The Hot, Wet Equatorial Climate > Life and Development in the Equatorial Regions > p. 153
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. Which of the following countries are well known as the two largest cocoa producers in the world ? [A] Algeria and Morocco [B] Botswana …
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 2.5/10 · 7.5/10
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This is a classic 'Sitter' from standard static geography (GC Leong). While production numbers fluctuate, the dominance of the West African 'Cocoa Belt' is a decades-old geographic fact found in every basic textbook. If you missed this, you are neglecting the 'Economic Geography' chapters of NCERT/GC Leong.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Are Algeria and Morocco the two largest cocoa producers in the world?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana in West Africa are the world’s largest cocoa producers, together contributing over 60% of global cocoa production volume."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly names Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana as the world’s largest cocoa producers.
  • Says those two countries together contribute over 60% of global cocoa production, which excludes Algeria and Morocco as top producers.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Côte d’Ivoire is the largest cocoa producer in the world, supplying roughly 40% of global cocoa demand"
Why this source?
  • States Côte d’Ivoire is the largest cocoa producer in the world, supplying roughly 40% of global cocoa demand.
  • Identifies a clear leading producer different from Algeria or Morocco.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Ghana, with 653,700 tonnes (11.6%), and Indonesia, with 641,740 tonnes (11.4%), follow as the second and third-largest producers respectively."
Why this source?
  • Lists Ghana and Indonesia as the second and third-largest producers with specific production figures.
  • Provides production ranks/numbers that show the top producers are other countries, not Algeria or Morocco.

Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 12: Major Crops and Cropping Patterns in India > Cocoa or Cacao (Teobroma Cacao) > p. 48
Strength: 5/5
“Production and Trade Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cameroon (Africa) are the leading producers of cocoa in the world. In addition to these, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El-Salvador, Honduras, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Venezuela are also the important producers of cocoa. Te main producers some quantity of cocoa is also grown in Malaysia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea (Fig.12.20). It has a worldwide demand but the developed countries of Europe, America (USA, Canada), Japan, Australia, New Zealand, India and China are its main importers.”
Why relevant

Lists the leading cocoa producers as Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cameroon and other tropical American and SE Asian countries — indicating major production centers are not Algeria or Morocco.

How to extend

A student could compare a world map/climate zones to note Algeria and Morocco lie outside these tropical production regions and thus are unlikely to be top producers.

Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 26: Agriculture > World Production and Distribution > p. 256
Strength: 5/5
“(a\ 60Vo of the world's cocoa comes from West Africa; (1978 figures). Ghana (22Vo), the Ivory Coast (11Vo) and Nigeria (15Vo). (b) Others: Brazil (16%o\, Cameroun (57o), Ecuador (4Vo),Mexico and Columbia. 26.1 Cocoa obtained from the pods is used for making cocoa powder and chocolate. Jabatan Penerangan MalaYsia”
Why relevant

Gives percentage shares showing West Africa (Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria) supplies a large portion of world cocoa — implying top producers are West African, not North African.

How to extend

Using the percentages, a student could infer the scale required to be 'two largest' and recognize Algeria/Morocco are not listed among those high-share producers.

Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 15: The Hot, Wet Equatorial Climate > Life and Development in the Equatorial Regions > p. 153
Strength: 4/5
“The most outstanding is natural rubber, called Hevea brasiliensis. Though it was first discovered in its wild state as Para rubber in the Amazon basin, it has since been transplanted to other parts of the equatorial lands and is grown very profitably on large estates. Malaysia and Indonesia are the leading producers, accounting for 44 and 24 per cent respectively of the world production. The home country, Brazil, exports practically no natural rubber. Another tropical crop that has achieved an amazing success is cocoa. It is more extensively cultivated in West Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea. The two most important producers are Ghana and the Ivory Coast (22 and 17 per cent respectively of the world production).”
Why relevant

States cocoa is more extensively cultivated in West Africa with Ghana and Ivory Coast as the two most important producers, reinforcing the West Africa dominance.

How to extend

A student could combine this with knowledge of Algeria/Morocco's geographic location (North Africa) to judge they are unlikely to outrank West African producers.

Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 30: Climatic Regions > Plantation Boom > p. 427
Strength: 4/5
“• With the coming of the Europeans, many large plantations have been established, especially in Java, Sumatra, Malaysia, West Africa and Central America. These plantations destroyed nearly half of original equatorial rainforests.• The climate is very favourable for the cultivation of certain crops that are highly valued in the industrial West. The most important is natural rubber. Malaysia and Indonesia are the leading producers. The home country, Brazil exports practically no natural rubber.• Cocoa is another important crop which is cultivated in West Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea. The two most important producers are Ghana and Nigeria.”
Why relevant

Notes cocoa is cultivated in West Africa bordering the Gulf of Guinea and identifies Ghana and Nigeria as most important producers — again pointing to tropical West Africa as core production area.

How to extend

A student could use this regional pattern to exclude North African Mediterranean countries (Algeria, Morocco) from being top cocoa producers.

Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 12: Major Crops and Cropping Patterns in India > Cocoa or Cacao (Teobroma Cacao) > p. 46
Strength: 3/5
“Cocoa is an important beverage crop used mainly in the manufacturing of soft drinks and chocolate. Te raw material for these produce are obtained from the seeds of the tropical tree known as cocoa. Its main importance is as a basic ingredient in the modern confectionery. In fact it has great nutritional value and known for excellent favor. At present it is an important beverage of the elites and intellectuals. Te cacao is indigenous to tropical America and was frst found growing wild in lowland Central America, from Panama to the Yucatan Peninsula and the river basin of the Amazon and the Orinoco rivers (Venezuela).”
Why relevant

States cacao is indigenous to tropical America (Central and parts of South America), indicating cocoa requires tropical conditions.

How to extend

A student could apply basic climate knowledge (Algeria/Morocco have large non-tropical zones) to conclude they are unlikely major cocoa producers.

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