Global chocolate and cocoa companies announce unprecedented sustainability strategy

Senior executives from 12 of the world’s l argest chocolate and cocoa companies are signing a joint agreement with the Government of Côte d’Ivoire as part of an unprecedented strategy to accelerate actions to make cocoa farming in the country sustainable. The plan, announced here today and known as "CocoaAction" , calls for building a rejuvenated and economically viable cocoa sector through increased cooperation between industry members and the Ivorian government.

Emphasis will be placed on providing cocoa farmers with a combination of productivity enhancements and community development interventions. These efforts are expected to reach no fewer than 2 00,000 Ivorian farmers and the communities where they live by 2020. The strategy will be coordinated by the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) .

"This agreement represents one of the most significant steps the sector is taking to make cocoa sustainable," says Barry Parkin, WCF’s newly - appointed chairman and chief sustainability officer at Mars, Incorporated . "This alignment of objectives, commitment of resources, and sharing of best practices is the type of transformative initiative that will really help farmers become more productive and secure the future of cocoa. While it represents a new way for the industry to work with origin countrie s, it also builds on the strong existing relationships with them. We are honored and proud to move these relationships to a significant next step.”

Representing the Ivorian government, Minister of Agriculture Sangafowa Coulibaly praised the strategy, sa ying, “Côte d’Ivoire is very pleased that the private sector has decided to coordinate its cocoa sustainability efforts to support those of the Ivorian government.” CocoaAction was carefully and voluntarily developed by the companies in close cooperation with the governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, the world’s top cocoa - producing countries.

In addition to Côte d’Ivoire , the strategy will benefit at least 100,000 farmers in neighboring Ghana . The two countries provide about 55 percent of th e world’s current cocoa supply . CocoaAction w ill later be extended to other cocoa - producing countries and is open to participation by additional WCF member companies as well as development organizations that support sustainability in the cocoa sector.

www.worldcocoa.org