Cargill enhances traceability for premium payments to cocoa farmers, € 14 Million paid in 2015

Over 50% of the sums paid to the cooperatives have been reinvested to strengthen cocoa cooperatives’ infrastructures, allowing for the construction of three warehouses and improving the transport and logistics for beans with the acquisition of over 50 trucks. As an overall trend, the cooperatives participating in the program have been spending an increasing amount in community services (11% of total premium amount), covering the improvement of health services, the construction of seven schools and 17 new potable water sources. Cargill’s Monitoring and Evaluation system effectively traces back the allocation of funds for each participating cooperative and keeps track of how the money is spent. For the first time in five years, cooperatives have been able to allocate 10 percent of premium payments to savings, which demonstrates the farmer organizations’ maturity and professionalization, and establishes the basis for great financial autonomy. “All of us increasingly care about the origin of the things we buy,” says Taco Terheijden, Director Cocoa Sustainability at Cargill. “We persistently focus on real results to demonstrate to farmers that we mean business when we say we want to support them in improving their livelihoods.” The premium payments are made to farmers for selling their UTZ, Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade certified cocoa beans and are funded by confectionary and food manufacturers and retailers.