They are words which will strike fear into every addict - we're running out of chocolate.
我們的巧克力快要耗光了——這話會使每一個嗜巧克力成癮的人感到害怕。

That's according to the world's largest confectionary producer, which has joined Mars in warning of a massive shortfall which could reach a million tonnes a year by 2020.
消息來自世界最大的糖果點(diǎn)心生產(chǎn)商，該公司與瑪氏公司一起發(fā)出警告，指出巧克力生產(chǎn)的巨大缺口將于2020年達(dá)到每年100萬噸。

Switzerland's Barry Callebaut Group said soaring demand have helped chocolate prices hit more than double what they were just eight years ago.
瑞士的百樂嘉利寶集團(tuán)說道，不斷上漲的需求使得巧克力的價(jià)格與八年前相比翻了一倍還多。

The supplier, which provides chocolate for firms from global giants to artisan bakers, has revealed it sold 1.7million tonnes in 2013/14 - a rise of 11.7 per cent on the year before.
據(jù)這個向國際巨頭和手工點(diǎn)心作坊提供巧克力的供應(yīng)商反映，在2013-14年度，其巧克力銷售額達(dá)到了170萬噸，與之前一年相比上漲了11.7%。

But there are limited quantities of the fragile crop - which means as production rises, so does the price.
然而，這種脆弱的作物數(shù)量是有限的，這也就意味著，生產(chǎn)增長的同時價(jià)格會有所上漲。

That leaves manufacturers with little choice but to raise prices on the shelves, make bars smaller or pack them with fruit, nuts and wafers.
這也使得生產(chǎn)商幾乎別無選擇，只能提高零售價(jià)格、把巧克力棒做得更小或者在巧克力里塞水果、堅(jiān)果和威化餅。

Industry experts say the world is in its longest production shortfall for five decades.
行業(yè)專家認(rèn)為，世界正處于最長的一次生產(chǎn)缺口中，此次缺口持續(xù)時間達(dá)到50年之久。

Cocoa prices rose by a quarter in a year to a peak in August of ￡2,000 a tonne, nearing a February 2011 peak, Barry Callebaut said.
百樂嘉利寶集團(tuán)表示，可可的價(jià)格一年間上漲了25%，在八月份達(dá)到最高點(diǎn)，為2000英鎊一噸，接近2011年二月時的最高價(jià)格。

Before the end of 2007 they had barely risen above ￡1,300. In 2005 they hovered around just ￡1,000, according to figures from the London-based International Cocoa Organization (ICCO).
總部設(shè)在倫敦的國際可可組織（ICCO）的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，2007年底之前，可可價(jià)格僅僅漲到1300英鎊以上，而2005年時，價(jià)格只是1000英鎊左右。

Barry Callebaut chief executive Juergen Steinemann said the hike was fuelled partly by a 'potential cocoa shortage' by 2020 - echoing previous warnings by Mars Chocolate.
百樂嘉利寶集團(tuán)首席執(zhí)行官尤爾根·史坦曼說價(jià)格上漲的部分原因是2020年“可能出現(xiàn)的可可短缺”，這與瑪氏巧克力公司之前提出的警告相一致。

The British-founded sweet treats giant has repeatedly claimed demand will outstrip supply by a million tonnes a year by 2020.
這家成立于英國的甜品業(yè)巨頭再三表明，到2020年，需求量將大大超出供應(yīng)量，缺口將達(dá)每年100萬噸。

'The global cocoa sector may suffer a 1million metric ton shortfall by 2020 because of increasing economic and environmental pressures on cocoa farms around the world,' the firm said.
公司指出，由于全球范圍內(nèi)對可可農(nóng)場不斷加大的經(jīng)濟(jì)和環(huán)境壓力，到2020年，世界可可板塊可能遭受100萬公噸的缺口。

'Our long-term business depends on a sustainable supply of high quality cocoa, and we believe that securing cocoa’s future begins with increasing yield for the smallholder farmers.'
“我們的長期業(yè)務(wù)依賴于高質(zhì)量可可的可持續(xù)供應(yīng)，我們相信，為確?？煽稍谖磥淼墓?yīng)，必須提高小農(nóng)戶的產(chǎn)量?！?/div>

Partly to blame are disease and drought, according to Bloomberg News - which could be beaten by resilient new breeds of cocoa beans.
據(jù)彭博新聞社報(bào)道，造成缺口的部分原因是疾病和干旱，這可以通過抗病耐旱的新品種可可得以解決。

But we are also getting hungrier for sweet treats - especially in developing nations like China.
然而，我們對于甜品的需求越來越大，尤其是在以中國為例的發(fā)展中國家。

Barry Callebaut's sales grew by 9.3 per cent in Asia last year - compared to 5.4 per cent in the Americas and just 0.1 per cent in Western Europe.
去年，百樂嘉利寶集團(tuán)在亞洲的銷售額上漲了9.3%，相比較而言，銷售額在北美的增長率為5.4%，在西歐只有0.1%的增長率。

Mars opened a ￡170million new plant in Kansas earlier this year to meet rising demand, and last month Barry Callebaut announced it would pour ￡7.3million into its factory in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
今年早些時候，瑪氏公司在堪薩斯州開設(shè)了一個1.7億美元的新公司以滿足不斷上漲的需求。上個月，百樂嘉利寶集團(tuán)宣布將向其設(shè)在巴西圣保羅的工廠投入730萬英鎊。

But some surprising news events have a hand in the price, including the Ebola outbreak.
不過，包括埃博拉疫情爆發(fā)在內(nèi)的一些意外的新聞事件也是造成價(jià)格上漲的原因之一。

Because 70 per cent of the world's cocoa comes from West Africa, chaos and quarantine restrictions mean global production has dipped by 0.7 per cent, the ICCO said.
國際可可組織指出，由于世界70%的可可產(chǎn)自西非，混亂與檢疫制度導(dǎo)致全球產(chǎn)量下降了0.7%。

And pledges to beat Third World poverty could also have an impact - as many African cocoa farmers live on less than ￡1 a day.
同時，戰(zhàn)爭第三世界貧困的承諾也會有一定影響，因?yàn)榉侵拊S多種植可可的農(nóng)民每天僅靠不到1英鎊的費(fèi)用生存。