Ghana and Ivory Coast will not be present at the October 26–27 World Cocoa Foundation Partnership conference in Brussels.
The world’s two largest producers of cocoa will not attend the gathering, which is the premier international conference on cocoa sustainability, according to Reuters.
Both the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and the Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC) of the Ivory Coast have stated that the reason for their boycott of global chocolate corporations is because these businesses oppose policies that would increase the income of farmers.
According to the Head of Public Affairs for Cocobod, Fiifi Boafo, “The major chocolate brands have resisted and tried to find means to circumvent payment of the LID”.
Therefore, “the Chief Executive [Joseph Boahen Aidoo] is not attending the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) meeting in Belgium and none of the executives at Cocobod will be there,” he affirmed.
Boafo said that the large chocolate corporations were mounting a covert campaign against the Living Income Differential, a farmers’ premium, because a direct rejection would have damaged their reputation.
The Director General of the Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC) of the Ivory Coast, Yves Brahima Kone, added his voice and declared he would not be attending this or any subsequent meetings of the industry.
He added that since 2008, programs on sustainability that addressed concerns like child labor had helped businesses more than farmers.
Two premiums given on cocoa beans from Ghana and the Ivory Coast to help reduce farmer poverty have recently been subject to significant discounts by chocolate manufacturers, undermining the original goal.
A predetermined amount of $400 has been agreed upon for each tonne of cocoa sold by Ivory Coast and Ghana as the origin differential, a further premium paid for the quality and dependability of cocoa beans, and the living income differential.
Both regulatory bodies said in July that they will stop selling cocoa with a negative origin differential, setting it at zero for Ghana and +20 pounds sterling ($22) per tonne for Ivory Coast.
Some of the largest chocolate producers and dealers in the world are requesting origin differentials as low as -200 pounds sterling per tonne, according to COCOBOD and CCC.
“We are considering new ways to address this issue with the industry, including banning access to our cocoa farms for their sustainability programs,” The Director General of CCC said.
On October 26 and 27, the World Cocoa Foundation Partnership meeting will take place at The Hotel in Brussels, Belgium.
On October 26 and 27, the World Cocoa Foundation Partnership meeting will take place at The Hotel in Brussels, Belgium.
