As Cocoa demand outgrows supplies and with Valentine’s Day upon us, chocolate lovers should be beware that there is a ‘chocolate deficit’ on the horizon. According to a report, poor and disorganized farming methods are leading to a deficit in cocoa crops, that is leading to shortages and could lead to deforestation, unless world farmers improve and organize their cocoa cultivation. The Daily Record reports: Demand for cocoa will soon be at an all-time high as shoppers in developing countries buy more of the sweet treat. But supply is slowing due to poor farming methods driving the planet towards a deficit where demand outstrips supply, claims the author of a report titled Destruction by Chocolate. The typical Western consumer eats an average of 286 chocolate bars a year – more if they are from Belgium, the report found. For 286 bars, producers need to plant 10 cacao trees to make the cocoa and the butter – the key ingredients in the production of chocolate. Since the 1990s, more than a billion people from China, Indonesia, India, Brazil and the former Soviet Union have entered the market for cocoa. Despite the increased demand, supply has not kept up and stockpiles of cocoa are [...]