Cargill, the global food giant, joined the sustainability bandwagon in 2008 when the corporation joined the UTZ Certified Program for cocoa. In 2009, the first cooperatives in the Côte d’Ivoire had implemented the relevant codes of conduct and were certified by UTZ.
Now, a year later, the first premium payments totaling $400,000 were made to two cooperatives–Co-operative Agricole de Fiedifoue and Coopaga.
Posts Tagged ‘cocoa’
Cargill Pays Premium
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010BBC Panorama Documentary on Child Labor
Friday, April 9th, 2010The folks over at the International Labor Rights Fund have made the six part documentary available on their website. Check it out.
Some Background on the Ivorian Crisis
Monday, February 22nd, 2010
Côte d'Ivoire, Divided
When Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo dissolved that country’s government and electoral commission on February 12, he created the latest roadblock in the long and difficult road to elections. The outcome was predictable. The elections, already postponed six times to March 2010, now are even father off. Even more disturbing was the dissolution of the Electoral Commission, the very entity charged with organizing the elections.
A Child Labor Update
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009In late September, the Payson Center at Tulane University released its third annual oversight report on efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor (WFCL) in the cocoa sectors of Ghana and the Côte d’Ivoire. Overall, the report takes a positive point of view. But hidden in various parts of the report remain serious questions as to the efficacy of the chocolate industry’s engagement with the Harkin Engel Protocol process. (more…)
More Bonuses for Ghanaian Cocoa Farmers
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
Loading Cocoa
COCOBOD, the Ghanaian cocoa board, has announced another round of bonuses for cocoa farmers. This time, the total bonus amounts to GH¢25,369,862.50 ($17,887,263). That translates to $1.76 per bag of cocoa. As usual, the monies will be distributed to the 26 licensed buying companies which will then distribute funds to the farmers on the basis of their past deliveries. Also as usual, the COCOBOD advised the LBCs not to pocket the money.
