Cocoa

World demand for cocoa is growing annually by 2 to 3%. However, production in West Africa (70% of world supply) has shown a declining trend of 2% per annum in recent years.

To ensure future supply, the sector is working on improving yields and profitability for farmers.

The sector wants to increase current yields of approximately 400 kg/ha to over 1000 kg/ha. The most important steps are: training farmers in modern farming techniques, using new plant material, increased use of fertiliser, and dialogue with authorities to improve enabling factors.

The Cocoa Implementation program funded by IDH convenes and aligns parties that account for approximately 30% of the chocolate market. The focus of the program is on the largest producer countries: Ghana, Ivory Coast, Indonesia, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Ecuador.

The vision of this program is that by 2012, this coalition will be recognized as a major force behind the upscaling of certification, increased market demand for certified chocolate, the institutionalization of sustainability in the sector, and the dissemination of innovative sustainability practices.

More than 50.000 farmers will have been trained, at least 30.000 certified, over 64.000 tonnes of certified cocoa produced, and UTZ Certified cocoa and UTZ labelled chocolate will be widely available in the international market.

The program will have catalyzed and increasingly institutionalized sustainability in the sector, for instance by expanding the consortium, arranging firm company commitments for buying certified cocoa, encouraging government buy-in and support for certification, and via collaborative initiatives amongst the 3 standards initiatives (FLO, RA and UTZ).

A focused learning program will have enabled the coalition to identify and address the five biggest bottlenecks in achieving program targets. Looking ahead to 2013 and beyond, the coalition is poised to deliver another strong performance in helping to transform the cocoa sector toward full social, environmental, and economic sustainability by:

• developing expertise centres for sustainable cocoa production
  establishing producers' organisations
• training farmers in the production and marketing of sustainable cocoa
• creating transparency in the cocoa market
• developing a standard for sustainable cocoa production
• developing traceability as well as a certification standard
• creating markets for sustainable cocoa

Timo Hoogeboom of Mars Netherlands about sustainable cacao

Program targets for 2012

• 50.000 trained farmers and 30.000 certified farmers

• 64,000 tonnes of certified sustainable cocoa available

• Up to 25% increase in productivity for 50,000 small farmers

Focus countries

Ghana, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Netherlands, Europe

Participants

Ahold, Cargill, Ecom, Heinz, Mars, Nestlé, Ludwig, Freyr, Oxfam Novib, Solidaridad, UTZ Certified, WWF

Budget

€ 9,7 million (€ 3,6 million IDH)