article_snippet.sent: A stock image of chocolates is shown .
article_snippet.sent: More than five million cocoa farmers and their families depend on cocoa for More than five million cocoa farmers and their families livelihoods around the world, where Cacao, Theobroma cacao L is cultivated in West Africa, Central and South America.
article_snippet.sent: The World Cocoa Foundation puts annual cocoa production worldwide at 3.8 million tons, which is valued at $11.8 billion (£7.9 billion).
article_snippet.sent: Cacao trees growing at a research facility in Ecuador are pictured .
article_snippet.sent: The world's largest confectionary producer, joined Mars in November in warning of a massive shortfall of chocolate, which could reach a million tonnes a year by 2020.
article_snippet.sent: The global cocoa sector may suffer a one million metric ton shortfall by 2020 because of increasing economic and environmental pressures on cocoa farms around The world,' Switzerland's Barry Callebaut Group said. '
article_snippet.sent: Our long-term business depends on a sustainable supply of high quality cocoa, and Our believe that securing cocoa’s future begins with increasing yield for the smallholder farmers.'
article_snippet.sent: This image shows cacao seeds after harvest.
highlights_snippet.sent: Experts hope find could profit the farmers who grow cocoa .