Climate change blamed as cocoa prices soar ahead of Easter As Easter approaches, shoppers may find they are spending more than ever on chocolate as a result of soaring cocoa prices that are squeezing manufacturers and filtering through to consumers. Tuesday saw cocoa prices surge to an all-time high, as poor weather hits crop yields in West Africa, home to 70 percent of global cocoa production. According to experts, human-induced climate change is behind the extreme heat battering cocoa plantations since last year.