Farmers in the country’s centre-east protested after saying unsold cocoa stocks were rotting, despite a pledge by the Coffee and Cocoa Council to buy the beans.

According to a source close to the council, officials will travel to M'Batto to ease tensions after dozens of farmers blocked roads and were tear-gassed by police while demanding payment for their cocoa.

The farmers had not been paid for beans sold during the main crop, and cooperatives warned that the situation could discourage them and weigh on the next harvest.

The report also notes that the CCC and the agriculture ministry were not immediately available for comment.