The effects of changing weather, changing consumer behaviour and disease are hitting two of global agriculture’s sweetest products.

There is a risk that the Easter just behind us will be last one for a while where chocolate will be plentiful and relatively cheap.

Wholesale prices for cocoa surged above $10,000 a tonne (€9,280) last week, more than three times the market price a year ago (see Figure 1).

A surge in demand due to Easter eggs is not the reason for the spike. Instead, traders are worried about output from the key west African growing regions of Ivory Coast and Ghana.

Those countries, responsible for around 60% of global supply, have been hit by a perfect storm of changing climate, illegal mining and, most significantly, rampant disease among the millions of acres of cocoa plantations.

This means the smallest crop in a generation is forecast for this year, with the outlook showing further falls.

Consumers are shielded from the worst of the price spike for now as chocolate makers buy their cocoa supplies months in advance, but are almost certain to feel the effects of the price surge later this year.

Far away from the equator, there is also a growing shortage of Canadian maple syrup, with the country’s strategic maple syrup reserve (yes, that’s really a thing) at the lowest level in sixteen years.

Climate change is playing a role in this drop, with warm winters leading to a drop in production, but the main culprit for the drop in stocks is the recent surge in the popularity of the sweet product.

Producers are worried that if they are unable to satisfy demand in new markets for maple syrup, then they might lose those hard-won customers.

Until now the maple reserve has played an important role in balancing supply and demand in the market to keep prices stable. However, if it runs dry there will be price increases, which will inevitably lead to a drop off in demand.