COPAL COCOA Info
A Weekly Newsletter of Cocoa Producers' Alliance
12th – 15th July 2011
Cocoa Producers' Alliance
In-House Cocoa Newsletter
Issue No. 448
UP-COMING EVENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Meeting of Head of Cocoa Research Institutes, 19 th – 22nd
July, 2011, COPAL Secretariat, Lagos, Nigeria
Certification Workshop, 12th – 13th September, 2011,
Brasilia, Brazil
Meeting of Market Committee of Experts, 13 th September,
2011, Brasilia, Brazil
74th General Assembly of COPAL, 14th – 16th September,
2011, Brasilia, Brazil
Basic Chocolate Making Course, 4th – 7th October, 2011,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
IN THIS ISSUE
INSIDE THIS ISSE:

ICCO DAILY COCOA PRICES

LONDON (LIFFE) FUTURES MARKET
UPDATE

NEW YORK (ICE) FUTURES MARKET
UPDATE

FROM THE NEWS MEDIA

TIT BITS
Do your health a favour, drink Cocoa everyday
‘It’s nature’s miracle food’
In the News (from Newspapers worldwide)

Health and Nutrition


Production and Quality
 Uganda’s cocoa exports look up as Ivory Coast
falters
 Cocoa seen at highest since 1979 on AfricaIndonesia Fix: Freight Markets
 Vasant, Spence to meet on cocoa plan
 Cameroon Cocoa Production rose 14% to 3,200
metric tons in May
 Farmers in Ho Central go back to cocoa farming
 Africa: Cocoa Farmers May Boost Yields by
Intercropping
 Nestle gives farmers disease-resistant cocoa trees
 Cameroon could miss this year’s cocoa production
target, Broadcaster Says
 Cameroon to increase cocoa output with highyielding plants
Nigerian Cocoa Processors want a Regulatory
Board, Copan Says
European Cocoa Processing Is at Highest Since
1999, ECA Says
Business & Economy
 The Cocoa Trees to focus on the Mumbai market
this year
 Agriterra Ltd Acquisition of Cocoa Business in
Sierra Leone
 COCOBOD links cocoa farmers via mobile
phones
Labour Issues
 Combating Child Labour in West Africa
 Efforts to end child labour improving
Environmental Issue
 Poor weather could hit Ivorian cocoa: farmers
The Market
 Ivorian cocoa prices mainly dip on quality –
farmers
Research & Development

Processing & Manufacturing
 Free Hosokawa Webinar: Cocoa Processing
 Policy to develop cocoa value chain instituted
 Cameroon cocoa grindings up 54 pct y/y
Promotion & Consumption

Others

ICCO Daily Cocoa Prices
ICCO Daily Price
(SDR/tonne)
ICCO Daily price
($US/tonne)
London futures
(£/tonne)
New York futures
($US/tonne)
11th July
1956.01
3097.91
1957.33
3083.67
12th July
1970.97
3107.11
1961.00
3094.67
13th July
2032.41
3220.82
2012.67
3205.67
14th July
2007.86
3196.88
2003.00
3170.33
15th July
2027.72
3224.73
2016.00
3200.67
Average
1999.00
3169.00
1990.00
3151.00
COCOA PRODUCERS’ ALLIANCE, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE,
P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234(0)1-263-5574 FAX: +234(0)1-263-5684
Email: econs@copal-cpa.org
Website: www.copal-cpa.org
2
International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE)
London Futures Market – Summary of Trading Activities
(£ per tone)
Monday
11th July
Month
2011
Opening Trans
Settle
Change
Daily High
Daily Low
Volume
Jul 2011
1906
1905
-21
1928S
1903S
9,971
Sep 2011
1935
1933
-11
1954S
1929
13,448
Dec 2011
1961
1962
-5
1985S
1956S
2,332
1,000
Mar 2012
1977
1977
-7
1999S
1973
May 2012
1987
1986
-5
2006
1985S
872
Jul-12
1997
1995
-5
2009S
1995S
1,177
Sep-12
2006
2004
-5
2022S
2005S
655
Dec 2012
2020
2000
-16
2020
2006S
9
Mar 2013
2032
2009
-16
2035
2032S
99
2010
-16
May 2013
Average/Totals
0
1978
Tuesday
12th July
Month
29,563
2011
Opening Trans
Settle
Change
Daily High
Daily Low
Volume
Jul 2011
1914
1909
4
1917
1885S
13,128
Sep 2011
1942
1936
3
1950
1914S
19,482
Dec 2011
1970
1965
3
1976S
1944S
2,401
Mar 2012
1982
1982
5
1997
1963S
1,905
May 2012
1990
1991
5
2001S
1975S
185
Jul-12
2004
1999
4
2013S
1996
81
Sep-12
2018
2007
3
2023S
1999S
113
Dec 2012
2002
2
0
Mar 2013
2010
1
0
May 2013
2011
1
Average/Totals
Wednesday
Month
13th July
37,295
2011
Opening Trans
Settle
Change
1950
1986
May 2012
1922
1946
1967
1991
1996
Jul-12
Sep-12
Jul 2011
Sep 2011
Dec 2011
Mar 2012
0
1981
High
Low
Volume
41
1961
1911
2,179
50
2015S
1935
10,050
2017
52
2044
1967S
3,312
2035
53
2058
1985S
1,791
2044
53
2045S
1996S
277
2011
2052
53
2053S
2004S
498
2014
2043S
2014S
201
2060
53
Dec 2012
2056
54
0
Mar 2013
2063
53
0
May 2013
2063
52
Average/Totals
2033
COCOA PRODUCERS’ ALLIANCE, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE,
P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234(0)1-263-5574 FAX: +234(0)1-263-5684
Email: econs@copal-cpa.org
Website: www.copal-cpa.org
0
25,256
3
Thursday
Month
14th July
2011
Opening Trans
Settle
Jul 2011
1950
1948
Sep 2011
2000
1976
Dec 2011
2030
2007
Mar 2012
2054
May 2012
Jul-12
Sep-12
High
Low
Volume
-2
1970
1921
5,827
-10
2009S
1959
3,820
-10
2037S
1990S
3,252
2026
-9
2054S
2010
977
2055
2034
-10
2063S
2024S
122
2061
2042
-10
2069S
2033S
83
2050
2050
-10
2051S
2044S
7
Dec 2012
2053
-3
0
Mar 2013
2061
-2
0
May 2013
2061
-2
0
Average/Totals
Change
2026
Friday
15th July
Month
14,088
2011
Opening Trans
Settle
Change
High
Low
Volume
Sep 2011
1967
1992
16
2008S
1960
9,488
Dec 2011
1998
2020
13
2035S
1996
1,794
Mar 2012
2020
2036
10
2050
2019S
602
May 2012
2027
2043
9
2050
2026
278
Jul-12
2037
2051
9
2054
2037S
309
Sep-12
2044
2066S
2044S
54
2061
11
Dec 2012
2065
12
0
Mar 2013
2077
16
0
May 2013
2077
16
0
Jul 2013
2077
0
Average/Totals
2050
12,525
Average for the week
2050
23745
118,727
COCOA PRODUCERS’ ALLIANCE, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE,
P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234(0)1-263-5574 FAX: +234(0)1-263-5684
Email: econs@copal-cpa.org
Website: www.copal-cpa.org
4
New York Board of Trade
(New York Futures Market – Summary of Trading Activities)
(US$ per tone)
Monday
11th July
Month
2011
Open
Price
Change
High
Low
Jul 2011
0
3058
-41
0
0
Volume
0
Sep 2011
3080
3050
-41
3089
3044
10,018
Dec 2011
3108
3076
-41
3112
3070
2,361
Mar 2012
3134
3114
-42
3147
3110
712
May 2012
3117
3115
-42
3117
3114
37
Jul 2012
0
3117
-42
0
0
0
Sep 2012
3139
3123
-42
3147
3125
67
Dec 2012
0
3128
-45
0
0
5
Mar 2013
0
3138
-45
0
0
0
May 2013
0
3149
-38
0
0
Average/Totals
3107
Tuesday
Month
0
13200
12th July
2011
Open
Price
Change
High
Low
Volume
Jul 2011
3097
3076
18
3097
3097
3
Sep 2011
3050
3051
1
3067
3005
8,760
Dec 2011
3080
3077
1
3090
3030
2,167
Mar 2012
3106
3121
7
3131
3075
644
May 2012
3118
3122
7
3118
3118
10
Jul 2012
0
3124
7
0
0
0
Sep 2012
3111
3129
6
3137
3111
15
Dec 2012
3143
3133
5
3143
3139
30
Mar 2013
0
3143
5
0
0
40
May 2013
0
3148
-1
0
0
40
Average/Totals
3112
Wednesday
Month
13th July
11709
2011
Open
Price
Change
High
Low
Volume
Jul 2011
3209
3180
104
3215
3209
4
Sep 2011
3069
3170
119
3186
3055
12,378
Dec 2011
3097
3196
119
3208
3086
3,599
Mar 2012
3153
3244
123
3245
3151
1,398
May 2012
3173
3244
122
3200
3173
1,508
Jul 2012
3175
3247
123
3247
3175
8
Sep 2012
3180
3251
122
3252
3180
90
Dec 2012
0
3256
123
0
0
2
Mar 2013
0
3266
123
0
0
0
May 2013
0
3271
123
0
0
Average/Totals
3233
COCOA PRODUCERS’ ALLIANCE, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE,
P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234(0)1-263-5574 FAX: +234(0)1-263-5684
Email: econs@copal-cpa.org
Website: www.copal-cpa.org
0
18987
5
Thursday
Month
14th July
2011
Open
Price
Change
High
Low
Volume
Jul 2011
0
3166
-14
0
0
0
Sep 2011
3177
3156
-14
3220
3126
8,358
Dec 2011
3200
3181
-15
3230
3153
2,137
Mar 2012
3245
3229
-15
3269
3202
991
May 2012
3229
3229
-15
3230
3229
60
Jul 2012
0
3232
-15
0
0
4
Sep 2012
3236
3236
-15
3237
3202
115
Dec 2012
3235
3241
-15
3235
3235
23
Mar 2013
0
3253
-13
0
0
6
May 2013
0
3258
-13
0
0
0
Average/Totals
3218
Friday
15th July
11694
2011
Month
Open
Price
Change
High
Low
Volume
Jul 2011
0
0
0
0
0
0
Sep 2011
3144
3168
12
3188
3128
6,826
Dec 2011
3166
3193
12
3213
3155
1,047
Mar 2012
3206
3240
11
3260
3206
1,493
May 2012
3259
3240
11
3259
3224
6
Jul 2012
3224
3243
11
3249
3223
23
Sep 2012
3225
3247
11
3259
3223
1,147
Dec 2012
0
3252
11
0
0
11
Mar 2013
0
3263
10
0
0
6
May 2013
0
3268
10
0
0
Average/Totals
Average for the week
0
2911
10559
2911
1920
1920
COCOA PRODUCERS’ ALLIANCE, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE,
P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234(0)1-263-5574 FAX: +234(0)1-263-5684
Email: econs@copal-cpa.org
Website: www.copal-cpa.org
6
News
NEWS
Health
Nutrit
Health and
and Nutrition
Production & Quality
Uganda’s cocoa exports look up as Ivory Coast falters
East African
By Bamuturaki Musinguzi and Sharon Mushakamba
July 10 2011
Cocoa farmers in San Pedro, Ivory Coast, breaking open cocoa
pods to extract the beans.
Uganda is projecting a 13 per cent jump in earnings from cocoa
bean exports this year, riding on improved crop productivity and
better global prices.
The Ministry of Agriculture last week said, production is
expected to reach 17,000 metric tonnes, up from last year’s
15,000 metric tonnes, an improvement that should push earnings
to $51 million from $45 million.
“We plan to expand the cocoa growing hectares and also provide farmers with the required resources and
technological knowledge in order to boost production levels from the current 15,000 metric tonnes to our target
of 50,000 metric tonnes by 2016,” said John Muwanga Musisi, Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries
Minister.
Uganda cocoa exports have grown from 6,000 metric tonnes in 2004/05 valued at $8.7 million to 13,800 metric
tonnes in 2008/09 worth $41.4 million.
“A comparison in the export competitiveness of different commodities in Uganda indicates that cocoa compares
very well with electricity, Arabica coffee and cobalt. These are commodities with high export value,” Mr Musisi
said.
Lack of awareness and low production are the two major challenges facing the sector, Musisi observed. “Not
many Ugandans know that cocoa is grown in the country. The schools curriculum mentions that cocoa is grown
in Ghana and Nigeria and not in Uganda,” he said.
“Uganda’s cocoa production is still too low to attract credible investors into value addition. If we are to sell
intermediate products like cocoa butter or cocoa powder we would earn three times more than what we earn
when we export raw cocoa beans. According to the potential investors our production levels are still low
because their heavy machinery can’t run all year round on just 15,000 metric tonnnes,” Musisi added.
“Otherwise, Uganda is at an advantage over the other countries simply because we are at a higher altitude of
between 1,100 -and 1,300 metres above sea level compared with West Africa with an altitude of between 0 and
300 metres above sea level where humidity is high, attracting high infestations of diseases and pests,” he noted.
Cocoa was introduced in 1901 to reduce dependency on coffee as the main export for Uganda, increase foreign
exchange and eradicate household poverty.
COCOA PRODUCERS’ ALLIANCE, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE,
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Website: www.copal-cpa.org
7
According to Mr Musisi, all cocoa producing countries including Uganda benefited from the recent chaos in
Ivory Coast, the world’s largest cocoa bean producer, because the price per tonne shot to $3,700 from $3,000
worldwide. “Currently a tonne goes for between $3,000 and $3,350, which is still high,” he said.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, world cocoa production is projected to
grow at a rate of 2.2 per cent a year, from 1998-2000 to 2010, compared with the 1.7 per cent growth during the
previous decade, and reach 3.7 million tonnes.
During the same period, Africa’s share in the global production is expected to decrease slightly from 69 per cent
to 68 per cent, while the share from the Far East is projected to remain at 18 per cent, Latin America and the
Caribbean at 14 per cent.
Africa is expected to remain the world’s leading cocoa producing area over the next decade, FAO adds.
Production in Ivory Coast, the world’s largest cocoa bean producer, should grow by 2.3 per cent a year from 1.2
million tonnes of the base period to 1.6 million tonnes in 2010, and account for 44 per cent of global cocoa
production due mainly to the increased foreign direct investment followed by the market liberalisation.
According to FAO, output in Ghana, the second largest cocoa bean producer in Africa, will grow from 410,000
tonnes in 1998 and 2000 to 490,000 tonnes in 2010, an annual average growth rate of 1.6 per cent.
The corresponding growth rate for the previous decade was 3.3 per cent. The lower projected growth rate over
the next decade will result from the outbreak of diseases (such as swollen shoot virus, black pod and mirids),
increased competition in the world market and low export prices.
In 2010, world grindings of cocoa beans, a proxy for world cocoa consumption, amounted to 3.6 million tonnes,
reflecting an average annual increase of 2.1 per cent from 2.8 million tonnes during the base period.
Consumption will continue to be concentrated in developed counties, which are expected to account for 64 per
cent of world cocoa consumption in 2010. Consumption in these countries is projected to increase at an annual
rate of 2.2 per cent from 1.8 million tonnes during the base period to 2.3 million tonnes in 2010.
Cocoa seen at highest since 1979 on Africa-Indonesia Fix: Freight Markets
Bloomberg
By Isis Almeida at ialmeida3@bloomberg.net and Debarati Roy at droy5@bloomberg.net
Jul 12, 2011
A ship is loaded with sacs of cacao beans in the port of Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The growth in U.S. imports of
West African cocoa is being driven by a drop in the availability of beans from Indonesia, the world's thirdbiggest grower behind Ivory Coast and Ghana. Photographer: Sia Kambou/AFP/Getty Images
The U.S., the world’s biggest market for chocolate, is importing the most West African cocoa in three years as
disease and taxes curb Indonesian supply, driving prices to a three-decade high.
Cargoes from Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and Nigeria rose 2.6 percent to 145,394 metric tons in the first four
months while those from Indonesia fell 88 percent to 7,301 tons, U.S. trade data show. Increased competition
for beans will mean cocoa averaging $3,300 a ton in the fourth quarter on ICE Futures U.S. in New York, 8.2
percent more than now and the most since 1979, said Kona Haque, the analyst at Macquarie Group Ltd. in
London who correctly predicted a rally in February.
“For the U.S. bean grinder, the lack of Indonesian beans has raised costs and diminished a regular supply in
their formula,” said Peter Johnson, president of Morristown, New Jersey-based Transmar Commodity Group
Inc., which has supplied manufacturers with cocoa for three decades. “The trick is, how do you replace what
used to be a cheapening agent that isn’t so cheap anymore? The first thing is you use more African beans.”
Cocoa is not alone as surging demand for everything from oil to tin means supply is falling short of demand.
Nestle SA (NESN), the world’s largest food company, is forecasting the biggest- ever increase in its rawmaterial bill and Hershey Co., which began making chocolate more than a century ago, increased prices by an
average of 9.7 percent in March. The cost of living in the U.S. rose 3.6 percent in May, the biggest year-on-year
gain since October 2008, the Labor Department said June 15.
COCOA PRODUCERS’ ALLIANCE, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE,
P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234(0)1-263-5574 FAX: +234(0)1-263-5684
Email: econs@copal-cpa.org
Website: www.copal-cpa.org
8
Cocoa Leading
Cocoa traded in New York averaged $3,159 this year, heading for the highest annual average since 1978. The
beans led gains in the Standard & Poor’s GSCI index of 24 commodities in the second quarter, rising 6.7 percent
as the gauge declined 7.8 percent. The MSCI All-Country World Index of equities dropped 0.5 percent and
Treasuries returned 2.4 percent, a Bank of America Merrill Lynch shows.
The U.S. consumed 1.4 million tons of chocolate last year, generating $17.6 billion of sales, London-based
Euromonitor International Ltd., a consumer research company, estimates. Cocoa represents about 10 percent of
the price of the average chocolate bar, according to the International Cocoa Organization in London, whose
members account for about 85 percent of global production and 60 percent of consumption.
An average cocoa tree produces about 30 usable pods a year, yielding enough beans to make about 2 pounds of
dark chocolate, according to information on a Hershey website.
Steel Containers
Cocoa is normally hauled across oceans in 20-foot-long steel containers by companies including Copenhagenbased A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S, the world’s largest container shipper. There has been an acceleration of West
African beans to the U.S., said Kenni Simon Skotte, general manager of Europe-West Africa trade at Maersk
Line.
An index reflecting charges for six types of container carriers rose 19 percent since the end of December,
according to the Hamburg Shipbrokers’ Association. That compares with a 18 percent decline in rates for
shipping dry bulk commodities such as iron ore and coal and a 91 percent plunge in the benchmark cost of
hauling oil on supertankers, according to data from the Baltic Exchange. The London-based bourse publishes
daily rates for more than 50 maritime routes.
Shipping companies will lift 549 million 20-foot-equivalent containers this year, about 9.1 percent more than in
2010, according to Clarkson Research Services Ltd., part of the world’s largest shipbroker. Trade will expand
another 9.3 percent to 600 million units in 2012, the research unit estimates.
Fleet Expansion
The global fleet of 4,750 container ships expanded 4 percent in the past year, according to Redhill, Englandbased IHS Fairplay. Owners have made orders for new ships equal to 26 percent of existing capacity, the data
show. About 90 percent of global trade moves by sea, the Round Table of International Shipping Associations
estimates.
The growth in U.S. imports of West African cocoa is being driven by a drop in the availability of beans from
Indonesia, the world’s third-biggest grower behind Ivory Coast and Ghana. The Asian nation’s output will
probably decline 13 percent to 500,000 tons this year, Dakhri Sanusi, secretary-general of the Indonesia Cocoa
Association said June 9. A longer and wetter- than-normal rainy season last year helped spread vascular streak
dieback, a fungal disease that can kill trees.
Indonesia’s government also wants to ship fewer raw beans and expand its processing industry to create jobs.
The state imposed an export tax of 5 percent to 15 percent in April 2010, allowing local grinders to offer higher
prices to farmers. The tax increases as New York futures rise. Domestic processing may advance to 400,000
tons of cocoa products next year, compared with 280,000 tons this year, Piter Jasman, chairman of the cocoa
industry association, said July 8.
‘True Value’
“The tax structure and poor crop in Indonesia is pushing prices above what the market perceives as true value,”
said Kip Walk, director of cocoa for Chicago-based Blommer Chocolate Co., which says it is the largest
processor of the beans in North America. By contrast, “a bumper crop in West Africa has provided lower prices
out of that region.”
COCOA PRODUCERS’ ALLIANCE, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE,
P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234(0)1-263-5574 FAX: +234(0)1-263-5684
Email: econs@copal-cpa.org
Website: www.copal-cpa.org
9
Production in Ivory Coast will expand 4.6 percent to 1.3 million tons in the crop year ending Sept. 30, while in
Ghana it will advance 52 percent to 960,000 tons, the International Cocoa Organization estimated in June.
Nigerian output will be little changed at 240,000 tons, the group said.
Futures markets are anticipating no decline in prices until at least 2013, with cocoa for delivery a year from now
trading at $3,117. Speculators are also getting more bullish with the net-long position, or bets on higher prices,
expanding for four consecutive weeks to 16,627 contracts, the most in three months, according to U.S.
Commodity Futures Trading Commission data.
No Relief
That signals no relief for consumers. Hershey, based in the town of the same name in Pennsylvania, announced
its wholesale price increases on March 30, citing costs including raw materials, packaging and fuel. Vevey,
Switzerland-based Nestle said June 8 its raw-materials bill may rise by as much as 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.6
billion) this year, the biggest gain ever. The company’s candy brands include Smarties and Aero.
The growth in West African exports to the U.S. is also surprising because it came despite a two-month ban on
shipments in Ivory Coast that ended in April. The curbs were imposed by then President-elect Alassane Outtara,
who was seeking to deny funds to his rival Laurent Gbagbo. The conflict that began with disputed presidential
elections at the end of November ended with the arrest of Gbagbo in April.
U.S. Imports
The U.S. imported 49,295 tons from Ivory Coast in January and 63,949 tons in February, dropping to 1,458 tons
in March and 252 tons the following month, U.S. Department of Agriculture data show. The slump in Ivorian
supplies helped drive cocoa futures to a 32-year high of $3,775 in March.
After the end of the export ban to the end of June, a “significant portion” of the 180,000 tons shipped headed to
the U.S., according to Gerry Manley, global head of cocoa at Olam International Ltd., a Singapore-based
commodity trader with more than 10,000 customers. Ivory Coast may produce a record 1.6 million tons this
year, and Ghana 900,000 tons, also the most ever, he estimates.
The lack of Indonesian beans combined with the Ivory Coast export ban also drove the U.S. to other West
African suppliers. Ghanaian shipments advanced 28 percent in the first four months and those from Nigeria
jumped 156 percent, USDA data show. Cargoes from Togo, to the east of Ghana, reached 3,285 tons, compared
with nothing in the previous two years.
The competition for beans may intensify in the next crop year that starts Oct. 1 as supply once more falls short
of demand. Globally, farmers will reap 3.68 million tons in the 2011-12 crop year, 5.3 percent less than this
year, ABN Amro Bank NV and VM Group estimated in a June report. That will leave a global shortfall of
94,000 tons, they said. “I suspect the New York cocoa market will outperform London” until the end of the third
quarter, said Haque of Macquarie. “Indonesia is the only bullish story in cocoa supply and demand at the
moment.”
Vasant, Spence to meet on cocoa plan
Trinidad & Tobago Express
By Camille Bethel camille.bethel@trinidadexpress.com
Jul 12, 2011
Minister of Food Production Vasant Bharath will meet with Prof John Spence on plans to rehabilitate old cocoa
estates, which Spence said would not work.
Speaking yesterday at the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA)/Caribbean
Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) awards, where he was honoured for his weekly
column in the Express, Spence said it must be realised that some of the things that have been tried before have
failed.
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10
"You cannot rehabilitate old cocoa estates in any meaningful way. You have to replant, you have to have new
plants," he said, adding that the University of the West Indies conducted studies of rehabilitation "and each time
they have found it does not pay".
He said he was at a meeting with the cocoa /coffee industry board, where it was stated that old cocoa estates
would be rehabilitated but pointed out that there has been a cocoa rehabilitation scheme in this country for 26
years which was a complete and utter waste of time.
Bharath, who also spoke during the awards function, noted that there were plans to revive the cocoa industry
and said he has had discussions with Spence who has a wealth of experience that dates back to 1954 and will
take cognizance of the points he made.
"The point he raised about revitalising the cocoa industry certainly an issue that we are looking to place a lot of
emphasis on it and clearly what has been done in the past 20 odd years has failed, certainly we will need to
relook at how we proceed.
"I will have those discussions with him next week on how we can progress," he said.
Spence said:
"The first thing I would like to see is a plan. I have not yet seen an overall comprehensive assessment of where
we are, what resources we have, what lands we have, what people we have, what farms we have and therefore
what we need to do to correct any deficiencies there may be in that situation." He said, if there is a plan, then it
needs to be publicised.
Cameroon Cocoa Production rose 14% to 3,200 metric tons in May
Bloomberg
By Pius Lukong at ebowers1@bloomberg.net.
Jul 12, 2011
Cocoa production in Cameroon increased 14 percent in May to 3,200 metric tons, the Cocoa and Coffee Interprofessional Board said today.
Output rose from 2,800 tons a year earlier, the board said in an e-mailed statement today from the port city of
Douala, without giving a reason for the increase. Production this season started Aug. 1 is 222,200 tons,
exceeding last year’s total of 198,000 tons, according to figures from the board.
Farmers in Ho Central go back to cocoa farming
GhanaWeb
July 13, 2011
Ho, GNA - Many peasant farmers in the Ho Central Constituency have turned to cocoa farming with a total of
150 farmers having already planted 20,000 cocoa seedlings. This was after officials from COCOBOD organized
sensitization seminars for them on the benefits of planting cocoa, through the help of Captain George Nfodjoh
(Rtd.), Member of Parliament for the Constituency.
Another group of more than 80 farmers including chiefs and young people attended another sensitization
seminar on Wednesday as they prepare to take to cocoa farming. They will also be given 20,000 cocoa seedlings
for planting after preparing their lands. Mr Daniel Tetteh, Chief Technical Assistant of COCOBOD stationed at
Saviefe, a cocoa growing area in the Ho Municipal Area, urged the farmers to observe all cultural practices so
they could harvest all year round.
"You have to spray and prune regularly for higher yields," he said= .. Mr Tetteh asked them to contact the
Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease Control Office regularly for advice. Capt. Nfodjoh said the initiative was to
help reduce poverty and empower the farmers to be able to educate their children. He advised the farmers to
protect their farms against bushfires. Capt. Nfodjoh said the programme would be expanded from 40,000
seedlings to 100,000 seedlings next year and appealed to COCOBOD to support the initiative.
COCOA PRODUCERS’ ALLIANCE, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE,
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Website: www.copal-cpa.org
11
Africa: Cocoa Farmers May Boost Yields by Intercropping
AllAfrica.com
By Bernard Appiah
13 July 2011
Growing cocoa with other crops on the same plot boosts the productivity of cocoa farms, compared with
growing cocoa alone, a study has found.
The researchers, from the University of Queensland, Australia, say their study is one of the first to quantitatively
examine the effects of crop diversity on the efficiency of cocoa farms.
They surveyed more than 300 farmers from three of the six cocoa-growing regions in Ghana - the world's
second-largest cocoa producer - and estimated their cocoa output.
"We were able to show statistically that [on average] cocoa farms that have other crops yield more cocoa per
hectare than plots with only cocoa," said John Asafu-Adjaye, co-author of the study.
The practice of converting forests into cocoa farms has led many to advocate growing cocoa with other trees - a
form of agroforestry - to conserve biodiversity.
But cocoa agroforestry can also benefit farmers by increasing their income, said co-author Adeline Ofori-Bah.
"On average, a ten per cent increase in the production of other crops is associated with a 1.6 per cent decrease in
the marginal cost of producing cocoa," the researchers wrote in the journal Ecological Economics last month (15
June).
Ofori-Bah said: "To the extent that multiple cropping is good for biodiversity conservation and income
generation for farmers, cocoa farmers should grow tree crops on their farms".
The study did not look at which species are best to plant alongside cocoa.
Victor Afari-Sefa, a consultant for the Sustainable Tree Crops Program - managed by the International Institute
of Tropical Agriculture, in Nigeria - said that not all tree species are likely to be equally beneficial to cocoa
farmers.
Farmers may be better off planting timber species, which also have an economic value, according to Afari-Sefa.
Yet convincing cocoa farmers to plant timber is a challenge, he said, citing an old law that made Ghana's
government the owner of all timber trees as one of the obstacles.
"Timber contractors would just go to the farms and cut down timber trees without giving the farmers any
compensation," he said.
Another obstacle is that timber takes a long time, around 20 years, to come to harvest. And yet, when it does, the
overall benefit is worth the wait, said Afari-Sefa. "The timber trees can serve as farmers' pensions," he said.
Nestle gives farmers disease-resistant cocoa trees
Reuters Africa
By Ange Aboa
Jul 13, 2011 6:16pm GMT
Workers sort cocoa beans in Duekoue May 18, 2011. REUTERS/Luc Gnago
BONOUA, Ivory Coast (Reuters) - Nestle on Wednesday ramped up its
distribution of disease-resistant cocoa trees to farmers in Ivory Coast, part
of a plan to boost productivity per hectare and improve the notoriously
poor quality of the top grower's cocoa beans.
The world's biggest food maker, which has distributed some 140,000
saplings since 2009, said it will hand out 600,000 saplings by the end of
the month and a further one million next year in a bid to raise productivity on farms.
COCOA PRODUCERS’ ALLIANCE, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE,
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12
Diseases and ageing trees mean Ivorian cocoa yields are amongst the lowest in the world at less than 500 kg per
hectare compared to 2 tonnes in Indonesia and 1.5 tonnes in Ghana.
The Swiss company has a policy of giving away trees but retains the priority to buy the cocoa produced from
them through exporters ADM Cocoa, Cargill, COCAF-Ivoire-Noble and Outspan-Olam.
"The goal of the programme is to create new plantations from old, that is to say we cut down the old trees and
put new varieties in their place," said Philippe Courbet, head of research and development at Nestle Abidjan.
Productivity could double with the new trees, Nestle said.
Pests such as black pod and swollen shoot disease have damaged cocoa crops and remain a threat to what is
otherwise expected to be a bumper 2010/11 season that has already overshot a 1.3 million tonne target more
than two months before the end of the season.
This week, a total of 120,000 plants will be distributed in the cocoa growing regions of Bonoua, Divo and
Daloa, he said.
"The characteristics of these new varieties is that they have high yields of two tonnes per hectare and are
resistant to major diseases, notably swollen shoot," Courbet said.
Damp conditions and a lack of sun could still hurt Ivory Coast's cocoa harvest in the coming weeks, farmers said
on Monday, citing the appearance of the black pod fungal disease in some areas where humidity is too high.
Cocoa officials estimate Ivory Coast has some 3 billion cocoa trees and ultimately only a state-supported
programme of replanting will stem the decline in productivity.
Cocoa sector reforms needed to halt the decline in Ivorian yields have been held back by a decade of political
crisis, but the end of a violent conflict over a disputed election in April may usher in the stability needed to
tackle these structural problems.
Farmers said the new trees would help boost productivity.
"With our old cocoa trees, even if you plant a hectare, you won't get one tonne of cocoa out of it," said farmer
Pierre Diagone, walking along rows of the new saplings.
"Now they are talking about 2 tonnes from this new variety. We're happy to have them."
Cameroon could miss this year’s cocoa production target, Broadcaster Says
Bloomberg
By Pius Lukong at plukong@bloomberg.net
Jul 15, 2011
Cameroon could miss its cocoa production target of 293,000 metric tons this year, Cameroon Radio and
Television reported, citing the Cocoa and Coffee board, which regulates the industry.
The West African nation needs to have produced 70,800 tons in June and July to meet that goal, with output
having reached 222,200 tons by the end of May, the Yaounde-based broadcaster said. Average monthly
production during the growing season is about 22,200 tons, CRTV said.
The broadcaster didn’t give a reason for the possible shortfall in cocoa production.
Cameroon to increase cocoa output with high-yielding plants
Bloomberg
By Pius Lukong at plukong@bloomberg.net
Jul 15, 2011
Cameroon distributed more than 200,000 high-yielding cocoa plants to farmers in the country’s Mefou Afamba
region in an effort to boost production of the chocolate ingredient, the government said.
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13
The plants were given to more than 15,000 farmers who are now expected to cultivate an additional 200 hectares
(494 acres) with the crop by 2015, Clementine Ananga Messina, an official at the Ministry of Agriculture, said
in an interview yesterday at the town of Mfou, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) east of the capital, Yaounde.
“This is just the first action taken by government in its program to revamp cocoa production in the country,” she
said.
The Mefou Afamba region has 27,500 hectares of cocoa plantings with average annual production of 2,000
metric tons of beans, Rene Ntep, a ministry administrator, said in a separate interview.
National output since August reached 222,200 tons while production for the 2009-2010 season was 198,000
tons, according to the Cocoa and Coffee Board.
Cocoa represents 25 percent of Cameroon’s annual non-oil exports, according to Ananga Messina.
The Market
Ivorian cocoa prices mainly dip on quality –farmers
Reuters Africa
By Loucoumane Coulibaly
Jul 15, 2011
ABIDJAN, July 15 (Reuters) - Cocoa farmgate prices in Ivory Coast's key growing regions mainly fell last
week, as beans were mouldy and small in size in several areas, although shortages gave some support elsewhere,
farmers said on Friday.
Despite a violent post-election crisis that dragged for over four months, the world's top cocoa grower is set to hit
an all-time record and produce some 1.5 million tonnes in cocoa this season.
In the western district of
Duekoue, the average price fell to between 600 CFA francs ($1.3) and 650 CFA per kg from about 700 CFA the
previous week, farmers said.
"The beans are moist. We haven't been able to dry them well for the last two weeks because of the bad weather,"
said farmer Mamadou Kone, who farms in the outskirts of Duekoue.
Citing similar problems with the
weather, farmers in the southern district of Divo said the price average ranged between 625 CFA and 650 CFA,
down from the 650-700 CFA range of the previous week. Small beans and the lack of buyers were blamed for
a slight dip to 650 CFA from 675 CFA per kilo in the south eastern district of Aboisso.
"The beans are small and lots of buyers have gone on holiday. Some buyers are also doing maintenance of their
equipment said farmer Etienne Yao, explaining the lack of competition.
Official figures from the BCC cocoa regulator showed on Friday that arrivals at ports have reached 1,310,614
tonnes by July 10, up from 1,067,252 tonnes in the same period a year ago.
But farmer in the western region of Soubre and the centre-western region of Daloa said prices were holding up
and even rising on competition for beans. "The big exporters are still taking the beans. There isn't enough cocoa
left in the bush," said farmer Koffi Kouame in Soubre, where prices were stable at 700 CFA per kilo. ($1 =
463.394 CFA Francs)
Processing & Manufacturing
Free Hosokawa Webinar: Cocoa Processing
Powder and Bulk Dot Com (press release)
By Greg Boyer
Jul 12, 2011
COCOA PRODUCERS’ ALLIANCE, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE,
P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234(0)1-263-5574 FAX: +234(0)1-263-5684
Email: econs@copal-cpa.org
Website: www.copal-cpa.org
14
Summit, NJ -- On Wednesday, July 20th at 2:00 pm EDT (-5:00
GMT), The Hosokawa Micron Group will host a free education
program focusing on cocoa processing.
The standard quality used in the chocolate industry is cocoa
powder at 99.5% < 75 µm. This presentation weighs the pros and
cons of pin, hammer and air classifier mills. The program is
designed for anyone processing cocoa press cake, but may also
be beneficial to anyone milling sticky products. The program
will run for 45 minutes and conclude with a short question and answer session.
For more information contact: Hosokawa Micron Powder Systems, 10 Chatham Road, Summit, New Jersey
07901 Telephone: 908-277-9205, Web site: http://www.hmicronpowder.com/
Policy to develop cocoa value chain instituted
Ghana Broadcasting Corporation
July 12, 2011
Government has instituted a policy to develop the cocoa value chain
with special incentives to attract a substantial investment in the
processing of the product in Ghana. The objective of the incentive is
to increase the proportion of local processing of the commodity up to
50 percent.
The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Kwesi Ahwo, made this
known in a speech at the opening of the 27th Biennial conference of
the Ghana Science Association in Kumasi.
Mr Ahwoi said the objective will be through strategies such as enhancing research on the utilization of cocoa
and cocoa waste for improved value addition. He enumerated incentives put in place to encourage business to
venture into agro-processing. These include a tax holiday of three years for crops, fish and livestock processing
while processing businesses established after January 2004 enjoy a five year tax holiday.
In an address, the Minister for Trade and Industry, Hannah Tetteh, noted that the manufacturing sector is
dominated by micro, small and medium sized firms most of which obsolete technology coupled with low capital
and human resource base. This she said limits their ability to undertake scientific research and adopt technology
for improved quality and productivity.
Cameroon cocoa grindings up 54 pct y/y
Reuters Africa
Jul 13, 2011
YAOUNDE (Reuters) - Cocoa grindings in Cameroon increased by 54 percent in the 2010/11 season to 27,131
tonnes of beans ground by May 31, compared with 17,572 tonnes for the same period in previous season, data
from two regulatory bodies showed on Wednesday.
The data showed that the country's only cocoa grinder SIC-Cacao, a Barry Callebaut subsidiary, bought 842
tonnes of beans in the month of May, up from 255 tonnes in April.
The figure was also up on the same month in the previous season, in which it bought 460 tonnes, the data from
the National Cocoa and Coffee Board (NCCB) and the Cocoa and Coffee Interprofessional Board (CCIB)
showed. Sic-Cacaos processes cocoa beans into cocoa powder, cocoa butter, cocoa cake and other products.
Its main customer is local Douala-based chocolate maker Chocolaterie Confiserie Camerounaise
(CHOCOCAM), owned by South Africa's Tiger Brands, but it also sells products to other central African
countries and neighbouring Nigeria. Last year, Sic-Cacaos upgraded its factory to raise its processing capacity
from 25,000 to 30,000 tonnes per annum.
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15
Nigerian Cocoa Processors want a Regulatory Board, Copan Says
Bloomberg
By Vincent Nwanma at vnwanma@bloomberg.net
Jul 13, 2011
Cocoa processors in Nigeria, the fourth-biggest producer of the chocolate bean, want the government to set up
an industry regulator to boost earnings from the crop, the Cocoa Processors Association of Nigeria said.
“We are asking for the government to set up an agency, an authority to monitor and provide the legal framework
for this industry to operate,” Akin Olusuyi, president of the association known as Copan, said by phone today
from Ile-Oluji in southwestern Ondo state.
The absence of such a regulator has led to a “very high distortion” in the pricing of cocoa beans in the country,
with international buyers going as far as farm gates to buy the produce, he said. “In Ghana, such buyers stay at
the port areas to buy, but here, nobody cares because there is no regulatory body.”
Nigeria ranks behind the Ivory Coast, Ghana and Indonesia as the world’s largest cocoa producer, according to
the International Cocoa Organization. Ghana’s cocoa industry is regulated by the country’s Cocoa Board, while
the Coffee and Cocoa Bourse regulates the industry in Ivory Coast.
Cocoa is Nigeria’s second-biggest foreign-exchange earner after crude oil, according to figures published by the
Nigerian government. Exports of cocoa products from the country rose 47 percent to $822.8 million in 2010,
Olakunle Akingbola, business development manager of Cobalt International Services, an inspection company,
said on June 2. That represented about 35 percent of $2.32 billion earnings from non-oil exports, Akingbola
said.
Earnings
Nigeria’s earnings from cocoa will rise further, if the proposed regulator is established, Olusuyi said. “If with all
the leakages the industry is able to generate so much revenue, it means it can generate more than 50 percent of
non-oil revenue if it is properly managed.”
Only about 20 percent of Nigeria’s cocoa output is processed locally, with the rest being exported as raw beans,
according to figures given by the Cocoa Association of Nigeria, which includes farmers, processors, marketers
and the government officials. The country should do more processing to raise value- addition in the industry,
Olusuyi said.
European Cocoa Processing Is at Highest Since 1999, ECA Says
Bloomberg
By Isis Almeida at ialmeida3@bloomberg.net
Jul 14, 2011
European cocoa usage rose to the highest level since at least 1999, when the European Cocoa Association began
compiling figures for the so-called grind, a demand indicator.
Bean processing climbed 8.3 percent to 355,593 metric tons in the second quarter from 328,426 tons a year
earlier, the Brussels-based industry group said today in a report. The increase was the largest since the yearearlier 13 percent advance, according to the figures.
Cocoa climbed 6.7 percent in New York trading in the second quarter and 3.6 percent in London.
The association gathered its figures from 24 companies including Nestle SA, which this month started selling its
KitKat chocolate bars in Brazil.
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16
Business & Economy
The Cocoa Trees to focus on the Mumbai market this year
HospitalityBizIndia
By Maansi Sharma | Mumbai
July 12, 2011,
The Cocoa Trees, the chocolate store owned by Singapore-based FOCUS Network Agencies (FNA), recently
opened its flagship store in Mumbai. The chain already has its stores in Goa, Delhi, Chennai, Pune, Bengaluru
and Gurgaon. According to Loo Lip Giam, Paul, Group CEO, FNA , “Mumbai will be the company's focus
market in India for one year. We are also in discussions with the airport authorities in Mumbai and Delhi to
open duty-free stores.”
“We are going to concentrate on strengthening our market in Mumbai before moving on to expand in the rest of
India. We have no constraint on investments and we have recorded sufficient demand in the market to expect a
good response. We are one of the few stand-alone chocolate stores for premium chocolates in India, and herein,
we believe, lies our potential. Our plan is to open maximum number of stores at good locations and provide
unique products, thus strengthening our market here,” added Paul.
He further stated that the chain will work on a city to city development plan in the country next year, after
having established themselves successfully in Mumbai. “We have also been approached by the airport
authorities in Mumbai and Delhi to open The Cocoa Trees duty free stores at the two airports, similar to the one
that we have at Singapore's Changi Airport, which has become very popular among travellers. However, this
plan is still in discussion stages and further details will not be available as of now,” said Paul.
Agriterra Ltd Acquisition of Cocoa Business in Sierra Leone
Wall Street Journal
By Agriterra Ltd
13 July 2011
Agriterra Ltd, the AIM listed company focussed on the agricultural sector in Africa, is pleased to announce that
it has entered into an agreement to acquire the entire issued share capital of Tropical Farms Ltd ('TFL'), a cocoa
company based in Sierra Leone. This acquisition will provide the Company with a platform to expand into
cocoa production through TFL's regional expertise and established buying operations and represents the first
stage of establishing a substantial cocoa business in West Africa. The Board is focussed on achieving security of
supply through the forging of long term relationships with farmers and out-grower schemes, in addition to the
implementation of farm management initiatives and eventually, the development of the Company's own cocoa
plantations.
TFL's business model complements Agriterra's established and profitable maize buying and processing
operations in Mozambique and is in line with the Company's strategy of building a pan-African agricultural
company with other divisions already including maize farming and milling, cattle ranching and feedlot facilities
and imminently abattoir services.
TFL was established in 2008 to provide a high quality, sustainable and traceable cocoa buying operation head
quartered in Kenema in the eastern region of Sierra Leone. With four buying centres currently in operation and a
direct buying register of approximately 2,000 farmers across Sierra Leone, the Board of Agriterra believes that
TFL has established a valuable base of 'out-growers' which can now be rapidly expanded under the Agriterra
umbrella. It is the Company's intention to develop additional community buying centres across the district,
whilst also providing additional solar drying and fermentation facilities, in order to increase total buying
capacity and guarantee sources of supply. This model will provide TFL with security of supply at farm level
with traceability without the need for local agents.
The Board of Agriterra also intends to implement additional initiatives to help increase yields for its out growers
and subsequently improve the margins and profitability for its operations in Sierra Leone These initiatives,
including implementing modern farm management techniques and farmer incentive schemes, have proved
extremely successful in Agriterra maize production and process facilities in Mozambique, and the Company is
confident that similar results can be achieved with cocoa production in Sierra Leone and the wider region.
COCOA PRODUCERS’ ALLIANCE, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE,
P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234(0)1-263-5574 FAX: +234(0)1-263-5684
Email: econs@copal-cpa.org
Website: www.copal-cpa.org
17
As immediate cash flow from cocoa sales to the established major international cocoa buyers increases, it is the
Board's objective to expand the buying operations into Liberia and also to develop its own cocoa plantations in
the region, effectively establishing a "tree to market-place" business model for rapid growth and expansion. The
Company is currently evaluating additional acquisition opportunities from which to expand its activities.
The Board believes that cocoa represents an exciting opportunity for the Company. Global demand is
strengthening and security of supply and traceability is becoming increasingly important. Cocoa production in
Sierra Leone is improving at farm level, with new techniques being applied and yields and cultivation expected
to increase. This provides TFL a significant opportunity to leverage its first mover advantage, both through its
existing base of out growers but thereafter through its own plantations.
Importantly, through the acquisition of TFL, the Company will also acquire the skill and knowledge base of Mr.
Adrian Simpson, Managing Partner of TFL. Mr. Simpson has 25 years experience in the commodities and risk
management trade globally including nine years at E D & F Man where at he spent four years running a large
cocoa buying operation in the Cote D'Ivoire and six years at Drum Resource Ltd, a London based company
which Adrian founded that focussed on the trading of and international risk managing for the commodity trade.
Agriterra Chairman Phil Edmonds said, "TFL has an established operation in Sierra Leone and is based on
quality, traceability and sustainability, all the major themes in the expanding cocoa market. Its acquisition
provides us with the ideal platform to expand both into the cocoa market, and West African agriculture in
general, as we look to build on our already successful maize and beef operations in Mozambique.
"Our focus is now to support the development of TFL, replicate its success regionally and leverage this to secure
our own plantations. By combining our experience and strong understanding of the agricultural sector with
Adrian and his team, we will look to build a significant presence in the cocoa industry initially focussing on
Sierra Leone and subsequently other countries in the region."
COCOBOD links cocoa farmers via mobile phones
Ghana News Agency
15th July 2011 » 0
Accra, July 15, GNA – The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) says its
CocoaLink programme is now providing text messages to local farmers
with access to cell phones.
CocoaLink, a unique farmer outreach programme with the World Cocoa
Foundation and The Hershey Company, expects to reach 100,000
Ghanaians in cocoa communities by 2014, according to statement issued in
Accra on Friday. “CocoaLink – Connecting Cocoa Communities” first
announced in March 2011, is an innovative technology programme that provides Ghanaian cocoa farmers with
critical agricultural and social information that benefits farm families and their communities and enables farmers
to ask specific cocoa growing questions and share learning with other farmers.
The statement quotes a CocoaLink user from a cocoa farm in Sefwi Akontombra District in the Western Region
as saying: “I am happy to be part of CocoaLink. When I have a problem on the farm I can text or call for help
and they will help me. I have registered with my husband’s phone number and when I get the message, my
children can help me read it. I’m expecting that it will help us in the community.”
The statement said CocoaLink used voice and SMS text messages delivered in local languages (Twi) and
English to connect cocoa farmers with useful information about improving farming practices, farm safety, child
labour, health, crop disease prevention, post-harvest management practices and produce marketing – all at no
charge.
Farmers will also be able to share information and receive answers to specific questions relating to their cocoa
farming livelihoods with experts at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG). “The national rollout of
CocoaLink by COCOBOD and our partners Hershey and the World Cocoa Foundation is another outstanding
example of how we are helping our farmers become more knowledgeable and more productive,” said Anthony
Fofie, Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD. “CocoaLink has the potential to be one of our most innovative
COCOA PRODUCERS’ ALLIANCE, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE,
P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234(0)1-263-5574 FAX: +234(0)1-263-5684
Email: econs@copal-cpa.org
Website: www.copal-cpa.org
18
and cost effective agriculture extension tools. Through its practical information, strong literacy training and ease
of use, we are quite confident that the CocoaLink will accelerate the transfer of knowledge, improving the lives
of many Ghanaian farmers.”
The statement said since March 2011, some 1,500 farmers in 15 Western Region communities had already
signed up to participate.
CocoaLink is on track to reach 8,000 Ghanaian cocoa farmers and family members by 2012 and more than
100,000 by the end of 2014.
Mr Tawiah Agyarko-Kwarteng of World Education, which is leading the technology and community training
programmes, said: “CocoaLink is truly the right programme at the right time. It is building on Ghana’s growing
capabilities in mobile technology to help farmers grow quality cocoa, increase family income and expand
opportunities for their children and communities.”
Labour Issues
Combating Child Labour in West Africa
Ghana
11 July 2011
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has launched the Public Private
Partnership II (PPP II) and Economic Communities for West Africa State II
(ECOWAS II), in Accra, today.
The two ECOWAS projects seek to expand the work being done under the
ECOWAS I, to reach out to more children in the cocoa sector and enhance the
livelihood component to promote economic support for vulnerable families.
The second is the PPP project which is quite unique, because it is a public-private
partnership between the ILO and the Global Issues Group in the chocolate and
cocoa industry, Ghana and La Cote d’Ivoire are beneficiaries of the projects.
Speaking at the launch, on behalf of the Minister for Employment and Social Welfare, Mr Enoch Teye Mensah,
the Acting Chief Director of the Ministry, said the main purpose of the project is to combat child labour in cocoa
growing communities in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire and eliminate the worst forms of child labour in West Africa
by strengthening Sub-Regional cooperation through ECOWAS II.
The Minister indicated that the focus of the PPP is to promote the implementation of the Ghana Child Labour
Monitoring System (GCLMS) in the cocoa sector and is being spearheaded by the National Programme for the
Elimination of Child Labour in Cocoa as well as support the coordination of all interventions in the sector.
Child labour, he said, is a global developmental challenge, adding that latest data from the ILO show that
whereas progress continues to be made towards reduction, the latest rate of declining (2004-2008) is not
encouraging.
According to him, in sub-Saharan Africa, both absolute and proportional figures testify to a worsening scenario
that one out of every four children between five to 14 years is a child laborer and 25 per cent of those between
five to 17 years are in hazardous work.
He assured the participants that Ghana will continue to demonstrate genuine commitment to the constitutional
provision that guarantees children’s right to be protected from any work which constitutes a threat to their
quality of development.
Among the keynote speakers was Mr. Simon Steyne, Chief of Operations for the ILO’s International
Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour.
COCOA PRODUCERS’ ALLIANCE, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE,
P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234(0)1-263-5574 FAX: +234(0)1-263-5684
Email: econs@copal-cpa.org
Website: www.copal-cpa.org
19
In his speech on child slavery around the globe, Mr Steyne highlighted some of the experiences of enslaved
youngsters. He said Child labour is totally integrated into the way the global economy functions. He added that
there are more than 200 million child workers in the world today, with millions in slavery or conditions related
to slavery.
Other speakers were Ms.Melane Rose-Boyce, the Global Issues Group (GIG) of the chocolate and cocoa
industry, Mr. Kofi Asamoah, Chairperson, Organised Labour, Representative of the Minister for Women and
Childrens’ Affairs, Rep of Minister for Food and Agriculture and Mr. Alex Frimpong, Ghana Employers
Association.
Efforts to end child labour improving
Ghana Broadcasting Corporation
July 12, 2011
Efforts by the government to eliminate all forms of child labour in
cocoa growing areas are yielding positive results. The latest
intervention to address the problem especially in cocoa growing
areas is the formation of a committee to collect data on the number
of children and school drop out in cocoa growing areas to be
supported by government to pursue formal education.
More than 100 of such people selected from cocoa growing districts
are attending a training workshop in Kumasi on how to collect
credible data to ensure the success of the programme.
The Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, ET Mensah said studies by international organisations in
different countries indicate a strong linkage between poverty and child labour. These studies also established
that child labour leads to perpetuation of poverty. He therefore commended the implementing agencies in the
fight against child labour which is coordinated by his Ministry.
Mr Mensah said though Ghana has made some strides, there is a lot more to be done to rid the Ghanaian society
of child labour in cocoa production. He reminded the trainees to be proud for being the first to be selected for
the project.
Environmental Issue
Poor weather could hit Ivorian cocoa: farmers
Reuters Africa
Jul 11, 2011
ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Damp conditions and a lack of sun could hurt Ivory Coast's cocoa harvest over coming
weeks, farmers said on Monday, citing the appearance of the black pod fungal disease in some areas.
Ivory Coast, which produces one third of the world's cocoa, is recovering from a four-month political crisis in
which farmers were driven off their land and exports were halted.
Despite concerns over the weather and months of political upheaval, exporters on Monday said 1.3 million
tonnes of cocoa had already arrived at ports this season and total exports could reach a record breaking 1.5
million tonnes in 2011.
However the message from some farmers on the ground is more downbeat. Patchy rain and a lack of sun could
harm production in the country's eastern region of Abengourou, renowned for its high quality cocoa, according
to farmer Jospeh Amani.
"We aren't seeing the sun. The humidity is strong in our plantations, it's not good for the cocoa," he told Reuters.
Some crops in the lower regions of Abengourou, which analysts say received 22 millimetres of rain last week
and 47 millimetres week before, are showing signs of black pod disease, Amani stated.
COCOA PRODUCERS’ ALLIANCE, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE,
P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234(0)1-263-5574 FAX: +234(0)1-263-5684
Email: econs@copal-cpa.org
Website: www.copal-cpa.org
20
"It's appeared earlier than in previous years. It's worrying for us as it can destroy the last pods of the mid-crop,"
Amani added. The main crop runs from October to March, while the lighter mid-crop extends from April to
September.
Wet conditions are also causing concern in the south eastern region of Aboisso, which saw more than 120
millimetres of rain last week, according to farmer Jean Tano.
Many plants could lose their flowers and smaller pods due to the damp conditions and lack of sun, Tano stated.
"If this weather persists, the main harvest (of next year) will be bad, because the flowers that are falling now
would (normally) be harvested in October," he added.
No rain fell last week in the western region of Soubre, according to weather analysts, and farmers there say the
cold and cloudy weather has not harmed the crops.
In the central-western region of Daloa, which produces a quarter of the country's cocoa, light rain and sunshine
is expected to aid the mid-crop, farmer Marcel Aka told Reuters.
Research & Development
Promotion & Consumption
Others
COCOA PRODUCERS’ ALLIANCE, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE,
P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234(0)1-263-5574 FAX: +234(0)1-263-5684
Email: econs@copal-cpa.org
Website: www.copal-cpa.org
21