DNAFoil®
Cocoa Swollen Shoot Disease (CSSD)
The cocoa supply chain is under constant threat of a destructive virus that infects cocoa plants. With no known cure to the disease, cocoa organizations can now prevent the destruction of millions of plants by detecting the presence of the virus earlier.
Cocoa Production in West Africa
Most of the world’s cocoa comes from West Africa, with the two largest producers, Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana, accounting for nearly 60% of the total global cocoa production.
Cocoa exports play a huge role in their economies and are an important source of income for millions of smallholder farmers.
CSSD: A Threat To The Cocoa Supply Chain
CSSD is caused by plant viruses and transmitted by mealybugs from infected to healthy cocoa plants of all stages, from seedlings to young and mature trees. Infected plants can be asymptomatic for up to 2 years, but then start to show symptoms such as red leaf veins or swollen stems and roots, and die within 3-4 years of symptom development.
Several strains of the virus have been identified and the only known cure at the moment is cutting and destroying infected trees. The virus has already infected about 17% of Ghana’s cocoa areas (more than 300,000 ha) and more than 100,000 ha in Côte d’Ivoire. This problem threatens the livelihood of cocoa farmers and the cocoa industry in general, as it reduces cocoa yield by up to 70%.
Our Solution
SwissDeCode’s DNAFoil CSSD solution is an easy-to-perform testing kit that allows anyone out in the fields to quickly test cocoa plants, using their leaves as samples. The test can detect three strains of the virus, even before plants show any symptoms, providing results in about 1 hour.
A successful collaboration with Mars Wrigley has allowed SwissDeCode to understand the specific issues and requirements from cocoa farmers and trading organizations, and, consequently, to develop a kit that answers the industry’s needs.
Benefits
▶ Virus detection even in asymptomatic plants
▶ Real-time monitoring of infection by CSSD
▶ Diminution of spread of CSSD to healthy cocoa plants
▶ Safeguarding of cocoa farmers’ income by reducing impact on cocoa yields
▶ Prevention of large-scale deforestation caused by recurring infections
▶ Improvement of sustainability in the cocoa and chocolate sector
Developed in collaboration with
THE INVISIBLE THREAT
Peeking into the Swollen Shoot Latency Iceberg
Why Visual Field Surveys Fail to Protect Sourcing Strategies
CSSVD is a silent margin-killer. An infected cacao tree can take up to 2 years to show visible symptoms, actively spreading the virus to neighboring farms in the meantime. By the time a farm shows physical signs of swollen shoot, the surrounding supply chain is already heavily compromised.
Traditional crop counts cannot spot asymptomatic infections, leaving traders, buyers, and forecasters in the dark. The CSSVD Watch Tower changes the paradigm. By utilizing SwissDeCode’s rapid DNAFoil technology—which does not require laboratory infrastructure or a cold chain—we catch infections at the single-leaf level before symptoms ever appear. This ground-truth molecular data is then aggregated into our database, enabling predictive, macro-level risk management
COMMERCIAL DATA SERVICES
Strategic Advantages for the Cocoa Value Chain
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Supply Sourcing & Price Risk Management
Unpredictable crop deficits are behind massive cocoa price surges. By accessing specialized, high-resolution regional heatmaps, trading desks and forecasting teams can anticipate production drops months in advance, optimize sourcing strategies, and mitigate contract exposure before local supply chains contract.
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Nursery Certification & Sustainability Programs
Replanting on infected land is a wasted investment. The CSSVD Watch Tower supports sustainable forestry and farm remediation by validating seedling stocks before they leave the nursery. Partner with us to ensure distributed seedlings are certified virus-free, protecting your sustainability capital.
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A Pre-Competitive, Public-Private Partnership
Our current ground-truth dataset features testing data from 545 sentinel farms across major West African growing regions. By contributing anonymized test results, partners join forces to construct a robust, nation-wide defense against epidemic spread. Standard public access maps are complemented by premium, customized reports tailored to your specific sourcing areas. Reach out to Sanja Fabrio at sanja.fabrio@swissdecode.com to discuss platform access options