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Ivory Coast and Ghana, the world’s two largest cocoa producers, said that they had taken note of efforts by some manufacturers to enhance pay to producers
Ivory Coast and Ghana, the world’s two largest cocoa producers, said that they had taken note of efforts by some manufacturers to enhance pay to producers. As reported by www.trendsnafrica.com, the two countries had given an ultimatum earlier this month to global chocolate producers that it would be difficult for them to source cocoa beans if the farmers in both countries are denied the guaranteed income.
In a joint statement, the national cocoa management bodies of the two countries, as well as the Ivory Coast-Ghana Cocoa Initiative (CIGCI), created to guarantee a minimum income to farmers, have expressed that they have noted the efforts made by some companies and their willingness to find solutions together for a sustainable production of cocoa that takes into account the interest of farmers, which can lead to a sustainable supply of cocoa.
For several weeks, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana levelled criticism against the chocolate manufacturers for not paying the decent income differential (DRD), a premium of 400 dollars (390 euros) per ton. This system was introduced in 2019 to ensure a decent income for farmers. The farmers had given the industry time till November 20 to meet their commitments. Otherwise, they warned to ban access to plantations to make crop forecasts and suspend sustainability programs aimed at fighting deforestation and child labour. The global chocolate industry is worth US$ 130 billion. Of that, cocoa producers get a pittance, much less than 6% of the turnover of the industry, pushing more than 25% of the citizens in both countries, who are dependent on cocoa cultivation for livelihood into poverty and destitution.
Against this backdrop, the producer countries announced to continue discussions and the establishment of a working group of experts who will provide recommendations by the end of the first quarter of 2023 to find sustainable solutions. Ivorian Prime Minister Patrick Achi hoped that an intelligent compromise would be found. However, he said that the permanent solution was to process 100% of our cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire. Only about a quarter of Ivorian cocoa is processed locally.
Read Also:
https://trendsnafrica.com/farmers-of-ivory-coast-and-ghana-arm-twisted-by-chocolate-majors/
https://trendsnafrica.com/the-rwanda-food-and-drug-authority-stops-the-sale-of-toblerone-chocolate/
https://trendsnafrica.com/change-in-rain-patterns-affects-cocoa-production-in-ivory-coast/
Ivory Coast cocoa accounts for 45% of global production. It constitutes 14% of the country’s GDP and feeds 24% of the population of the country, a total of 27 million.
