The Café-Cacao Council continues its offensive against Mars and Hershey
The Café-Cacao Council is in the midst of a standoff with two American giants.
© Sia KAMBOU AFP
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The Ivory Coast and Ghana are determined to continue their offensive against two American multinational chocolate companies, Hershey and Mars, who refuse to pay a special premium to better remunerate the farmers who produce the cocoa.
The Café-Cacao Council must also meet the representatives of the growers on Thursday in Yamoussoukro.
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The officials of the Café-Cacao Council want to explain to the planters the reasons which prompted the Ivorian and Ghanaian regulators
to raise their voice in the face of two multinationals
.
It is unusual enough to be emphasized.
Suspension of "sustainable" certification
Ivory Coast and Ghana have suspended Hershey certification programs, which aim to ensure that manufacturers buy "sustainable" cocoa, that is, cocoa that does not come from plantations that have led to deforestation. or makes children work.
Here again, this is a first.
Abidjan and Accra strike a chord here, namely an important communication and marketing element that chocolate makers use towards consumers in the North.
The two countries are trying to give themselves the means not to let multinationals circumvent the commitments made in the agreement fixing a premium of $ 400 per tonne intended for planters.
This is called the “decent income differential” which serves to better remunerate small cocoa farmers.
Discussions with Hershey
The CEO of the Café Cacao Council says there are currently discussions with the Hershey group to ease tensions.
In fact, the advantage that Ghana and the Ivory Coast have is that they produce two thirds of the cocoa beans in the world.
In the meantime, Abidjan and Accra occupy the media for the moment.
Marches of cocoa farmers must be organized simultaneously in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana on Thursday.
►Also read: The fears of intermediaries on maintaining the special premium
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