Ivory Coast: planters shared around the rise in the price of cocoa
A farmer works on a cocoa farm in Bobia, Côte d'Ivoire.
(Illustration) REUTERS / Thierry Gouegnon
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
The reactions of farmers to the increase in the price of cocoa paid to producers in Côte d'Ivoire are not uniform.
While some are happy, others believe it is a first step.
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With our special correspondent in Yamossoukro,
Stanislas Ndayishimiye
The announcement of the increase in the price of cocoa paid to producers in
Côte d'Ivoire
, from 825 to 1,000 CFA francs per kilo, made producers "
very happy
", said Jérôme Yao Kouakou, planter in Issia, in the west-central Côte d'Ivoire.
Announced Thursday by
President Alassane Ouattara,
on the occasion of the opening of "National Cocoa Day" in Yamoussoukro,
this 21% increase in the price of
"
farm
gate
"
cocoa
corresponds to the "
decent income differential
".
Eugénie Afoué Brou, planter in Bouaflé for 18 years, reacts to the rise in the price of "farm gate" cocoa
Stanislas Ndayishimiye
This is a premium of 400 dollars per ton, negotiated by Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana with multinational chocolate companies, which comes into effect for the 2020-2021 cocoa season.
“
When you come together you become strong.
It would be important for us growers to see the top two cocoa-producing countries in the world unite and defend our interests together,
”said Jérôme Yao Kouakou.
"
A step forward
"
However, even if it is necessary, the increase in the price announced at the start of the cocoa season is not yet sufficient to live decently, according to some producers' unions.
“
It's a real step forward.
As the price goes up, it's still important to know that the cocoa will be recognized for its fair value.
Because it is all a work that is done in the background to have the beans that people see today until we arrive at the transformation
”, believes for his part, Fidèle Gnapié.
A cocoa producer for 3 years near Lakota, she hopes that there will be no more drop in the price in the future.
In order to capture part of the added value of cocoa, Côte d'Ivoire also wants to double its processing capacity, which is today 500,000 tonnes, or a quarter of its production.
In total, Côte d'Ivoire is the world's leading producer of cocoa, with 40% of the market.
Cocoa represents 10% of its GDP, 40% of its export earnings, and provides a livelihood for 5 million people, or about a fifth of the Ivorian population, according to the World Bank.
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