Ivorian Cocoa Year Off to a Rocky Start

Grading Cocoa Beans -- Photo: Reuters/Luc Gnago

The 2009/10 cocoa year got off to a rocky start in the Côte d’Ivoire. Barely a couple of weeks into the new season, the Organization of Agricultural Producers, a union representing about a third of all cocoa cooperatives, launched a strike in protest against lacking government support. The overt reason seems to be surge in world market prices to over $3,300/ton that has not translated into higher prices for farmers.

According to another Reuters report, farmers have stopped some trucks from reaching the export facilities in the port of San Pedro and Bloomberg reports picketers outside the Senate building in Abidjan.

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Cocoa and Climate Change

Blog Action LogoMy post for Blog Action Day 2009 focuses the impact of traditional cocoa cultivation in climate change. Let me start with the concept of the forest rent. The term was first coined by French Agronomist François Ruf. Here’s what he found.

Although a shade tree by origin, farmers found that exposing the cocoa tree to light, i.e., cutting down forests, increased yield dramatically. A newly planted cocoa farm thus starts out very productive and has high yields. But exposure to light shortens the trees’ life. As trees age–their life expectancy ranges now down to as little as 20 years–their yield declines. At the same time, they become more vulnerable to pests and diseases. The amount of labor and chemicals required to keep trees producing increases accordingly.

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Côte d’Ivoire Production Reports for the Last Cocoa Year

The new cocoa year started on October 1st and its time to review some of the production data from the last cocoa year. Let’s start with the largest producer, the Côte d’Ivoire.  According to an item in Africa Report, the West African country had its worst production in five years. Total cocoa exports amounted to 1,178,526 tonnes, 14 percent down from last years 1,367,877 tonnes. Exporters expect the current season to be just as  bad, predicting exports in the range of 1 million to 1.15 million tons.

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Get Ready for Reverse Trick-or-Treating

Global Exchange, the International Labor Rights Fund, Equal Exchange, Alter Eco, Sweet Earth, La Siembra, Cocoa Zen and a host of other organizations are getting ready for the third annal reverse trick-or-treat campaign.

The Reverse Trick-or-Treat campaign aims to educate consumers about poverty and child labor in the cocoa sector. In a sweet reversal of roles, participating children will hand the adults who open their doors a piece of dark chocolate and a card explaining the working conditions on many cocoa farms.

If your kids want to participate, contact Global Exchange for a kit. Kits are free but cost $5.50 shipping and handling.The deadline for individuals is Oct. 13. Organizations should get their orders in by Oct. 1.

If you want to give out fairtrade chocolate to children coming to your doors, you can stock up at many stores and online locations. Check any of the companies mentioned above.