The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) announced yesterday that the 2007 cocoa crop would produce a global cocoa surplus of 80,000 tons, up from previous estimates of a 5,000-ton deficit.

The trade organization said favorable weather conditions in cocoa-producing regions of the world accounts for the bumper crop, which is being considered a record. News of the large crop comes in spite of cocoa farmers’ unrest and an outbreak of a swollen shoot virus that harmed crops in some African growing regions.

Africa accounts for 72 percent of the world’s cocoa production, with the Cote d’Ivoire region contributes the most by generating nearly 1.4 mt in 2005. Though regular rainfall and good weather aided Cote d’Ivoire’s production, the farmers’ union Anaproci called for strikes to spur the government to provide greater financial support for farming co-ops.

The strikes were suspended at the end of October, and although an agreement between the farmers’ union and the government has not yet been reached, negotiations are underway.

“It is worth noting that at the opening of the current 2006/07 campaign, the Government of Cote d’Ivoire strived towards its effort in reducing the level of taxation in the cocoa sector but not as much as requested by Ivorian farmers,” the ICCO report stated.

World production of cocoa for 2005-06 increased by 6 percent over previous years, with the majority of cocoa going to the United States. U.S. consumers ate 781,000 tons of cocoa last year, with second-place Germany consuming 278,000 tons.

Global exports of cocoa beans from January to March this year grew to more than 657,000 tons, while imports also grew to more than 905,000 tons.

Worldwide exports of chocolate or chocolate products experienced a 9.7 percent growth rate this year to nearly 903,000 tons, with imports rising 16.3 percent to nearly 898,000 tons.

I know there are thousands of chocolate lovers out there. I happen to be one of those people and have tried several different chocolate treats in my lifetime. So what do I consider to be the top chocolate treats? I find that there are several different chocolate treat categories and there are treats in each category that are better than all the rest. For the sake of budget, this article will stick to foods you can buy in almost any grocery store. These chocolate treats are low in price but high in taste.

CandyBars: We’ve all tried several varieties of this chocolate treat, but which ones are the best? Throughout my life, my tastes have changed and I’ve had several different favorites in this chocolate treat category; everything from Reese’s Cups to Zero Bars. Today though, my favorite chocolate treat in this category is the Milky Way. For those of you who haven’t had a Milky Way, it’s a wonderful combination of milk chocolate, gooey caramel, and wonderfully sweet nougat.

Ice Cream: Let’s face it, just plain chocolate ice cream is wonderful, but the flavors that go above and beyond are the best. This chocolate treat seems to be everyone’s favorite dessert. When we’re talking ice cream, I prefer Ben & Jerry’s. There are several great chocolate ice creams made by Ben & Jerry’s including The Gobfather (which is a chocolate ice cream with nougat swirls, and chocolate covered almonds), Brownie Batter (brownie batter ice cream with a brownie batter swirl), Chocolate Fudge Brownie (chocolate ice cream with huge hunks of fudgy brownies), they even have plain chocolate, but the ultimate chocolate treat in this category is New York Super Fudge Chunk. This ice cream is chocolate based with white and dark chocolate chunks, chocolate covered almonds, walnuts, and pecans. Just reading the description will make you drool.

Cookies: When most people think of this treat, they think of Oreo’s. That is after all, America’s favorite cookie. But what if you could take that cookie one step further in chocolaty goodness? Dip those bad boys in some chocolate and you have the ultimate chocolate cookie. You can either buy them this way, or make them yourself. I prefer to make them myself. You can melt up some chocolate, mix in some crushed peppermint candies, and take the cookies over-the-top.

Snack Cakes: Is there a snack cake that isn’t good? If there is, I haven’t found it. When it comes to chocolate snack cakes, there are so many good treats to be found. While I like them all, there is one that cannot be beat. Snow Balls! Those chocolate cakes, covered with a layer of marshmallow than sprinkled with that beautiful pink coconut. If you haven’t tried one of these, you really must. They are delicious