1

2012
Cocoa Barometer
Cocoa Barometer 2012

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12

20

2009
Cocoa Barometer 20122010
Cocoa Barometer 2012

1 Introduction

Cocoa supply chain

Visual 1 smallholders and production
2

3

When questioned, ninety per cent of people admit to

5½ million smallholders

love chocolate. The other ten per cent lie. It’s a good joke,
and while chocolate is a tasty snack for the consumers;gf^][lagfYjqaf\mkljq

14 million dependants

in the industrialised countries, more than 5.5 million
smallholders earn their livelihood by cultivating cocoa,
KeYdd`gd\]j

LjY\]j?jaf\]jJ]lYad]j;gfkme]jthe most important ingredient of chocolate. Another 14
million rural workers directly depend on cocoa for their>gg\
Af\mkljq

Af\mkljaYd
9jlakYfYd
H`YjeYlgZY[[g[gfkme]jk

income.

consumed in Europe. Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana alone
contribute 59% of the global cocoa supply, with Indonesia,;g[gYZ]Yfk;g[gYdaimgj;g[gYhgo\]jgjdaimgjgjZmll]j;`g[gdYl]hjg\m[lkNigeria and Cameroon accounting for another 23%.
Smallholders and their workers harvest more than 90%of the global cocoa production. Harvesting, fermenting,Content

Scope and limitations

and drying the beans, maintaining the farm, it’s all hard
manual labour. Most workers on cocoa farms, especiallyin West Africa, live and work under dismal conditions,

1 Introduction page 3

The Cocoa Barometer 2012 is an endeavour towell below the poverty line. Most of these have never

2. Challenges page 6

stimulate and enable stakeholders to communicate

tasted chocolate, though their lives revolve around its key

3. Certified Cocoa Production page 8

and discuss critical issues. This Barometer aims

ingredient.

4. Sector Developments page 12

to provide an overview of current sustainability

5. Beyond Productivity page 19

developments in the cocoa sector. The authors

In the first decades of the second half of the Twentieth

6. Recommendations page 24

have chosen to focus on West Africa’s cocoa

century, cocoa was a crop that generated a decent

sector, due to its dominance in cocoa production

income for the farmers and their families. As a result ofand the significant challenges facing this region.

overproduction and the liberalisation of cocoa markets,

Because of the constraints of this publication andthe price for cocoa declined. At the same time, political

the absence of third party evaluations, focus on

instability in many West African producer countries

individual company projects and evaluations ofworsened.

Standards Bodies is not a key element of the current
Barometer, but there are plans for these topics to

In recent years, emerging cocoa markets such as

become the core focus of the Cocoa Barometer 2013.

Eastern Europe and Brazil have seen a rise in chocolate
consumption. Forecasts indicate that this trend willcontinue in the near future, although demand in Asia

Cocoa Barometer 2012

98% of these on farms
smaller than 5 hectareWest Africa is the source of more than 90% of cocoa

Cocoa Barometer 2012

5 ha
90% of the total world wide cropVisual 2 - global production and import of cocoa
45Rest ofthe world

1,795,000
912,000

155,000
52,0001,511,000

1,025,000

696,000

Ghana

rest of Africa

128,000

544,000

It is argued that yield increase will naturally lead to

During the 2010-2011 harvest season yields reached a

improved income for farmers. This increased income

new record level, and prices went up to more than $3.700,

will then lead to an improvement of working conditions,due to the political crisis in the Côte d’Ivoire, before they

including reduction of (worst forms of) child labour andwent down to around $2000 at the end of the year 2011.

alleviation of other social issues. However, recent reports

Preliminary figures on the harvest season of 2012/2013

suggest that yield increase alone will not be able to solve

show that there is at best a marginal supply deficit, due

the issues faced by smallholders. The debate about a living

to a good harvest, which will likely lead to continued low

income for farmers and their families, a diversification

prices for the near future.

of income, access to finance, access to agricultural
inputs, a focus on the social and environmental issues,

33,000

Cote d’Ivoire

the world market. However, the cocoa market is volatile.

198,000
rest of Asia

537,000
65,000342,000

In many countries the farm gate price for cocoa growers

financial transparency along the supply chain, as wellis much lower than the world market price. Smallholders

as an investment in local infrastructure, are all essential

generally do not have a strong bargaining position. As aingredients of a holistic approach towards a sustainable

result, many farmers cannot invest in their smallholder

supply chain. It is necessary for the sustainability debate

farms, and young people are leaving cocoa, resulting inin cocoa to go “Beyond Productivity”, the specific focus ofan aged cocoa-tree population, with the average age ofthis Cocoa Barometer.

farmers worryingly high.
Consumption 2010/11 in tonnes
Production 2010/11 in tonnes

a depletion of available arable land, yields have at best

institutions financed by development assistance, andremained stable, if not declined. As a result, market

multi-stakeholder initiatives with civil society actors andexperts and the industry as a whole expect a substantial

Standards Bodies. These projects are primarily centred

shortfall between supply and demand by 2020, unlesson West Africa. Additionally, producing and consuming

action is taken. Increasing yields at farm level is seen as anations’ governments are investing in these projects, andnecessity in order to meet the increasing global demandin other efforts to increase sustainability in the cocoa

for cocoa. It could also provide producer countries with

supply chain. Some of these projects show good results,

more jobs, revenue, and export opportunities.

although coordination of learning between projects needs

Visual 3 - World market for cocoa in 1.000 tonnes
2020

to joint actions with other companies, cooperation with

2011

same time, due to ageing cocoa farms and farmers, and2000

passing. Their form varies from company-specific projects,

1990

is less a driving factor than initially expected. At thecompanies, traders and chocolate manufacturers, tointroduce projects aimed primarily at increasing yields,

Two years ago, when the last Cocoa Barometer was

although other sustainability issues are addressed in

written, one tonne of cocoa cost more than $3.100 on

Cocoa Barometer 20121970

these projects.
1960

In response, there has been a significant move of cocoa

1002

1418

1980

to be improved, and there are questions on scalability of

3065
2331

1558
Cocoa Barometer 2012

3941

5000

2 Challenges

Visual 4 Income increase needed toescape from poverty and absolute poverty

Critical issues

Absolute
2000
poverty

3650

3650

Absolute
poverty

2281
1070
342

Current
incomeIncrease toabsolute
poverty line

Increase topoverty line

Current
incomeIncrease
to absolute
poverty line

Increase topoverty line

Ghana

Cote d’ivoire

The global cocoa industry is in crisis, and ‘business as

poor-nutrition and limited social/economic infrastructure inusual’ is not going to be able to solve it. Many issues

cocoa communities. Besides the obvious human and labourdemand attention if cocoa is to have a future, particularly

rights aspects, media attention and consumer awarenessin West Africa.

about working conditions – specifically trafficking and (theworst forms of) child labour – pose a constant threat to

Absolute poverty

brand reputation for the chocolate companies.

Income of farmers and workers must increase drasticallyfrom its current levels. The average income of West African

Decline of farmer populationcocoa farmers and their dependents is far below the level

The average age of cocoa farmers in West Africa is aroundof absolute poverty. Insufficient income to pay workers,

50 years. With life expectancy around 60, the current

coupled with a shortage of workers in rural areas, forces

generation of cocoa farmers will soon start passing away.

farmers to rely on unpaid workers. Many of these are

Poverty and dismal working conditions have caused

family-members, and often work excessive hours, directly

farmers to no longer believe in a good future in cocoa

increasing the risk of (worst forms of) child labour andfor their children and grandchildren. Children want go toforced adult labour (FLA 2012: 28-29).

school, not to become better farmers, but in the hope of

Economical issues

Poverty

341 %

5840

> Income for farmers (living income, diversification of crops,
rising cost of living, price volatility and speculation)> Access to markets (credit, market information,
investment risks)> Farming practices (farmer training, low yields)> Infrastructure (streets, hospitals, schools,
roads, high taxes, transport costs)

Social issues

213 %

967 %

6000
Poverty1608 %

7> Human rights violations (child labour,
forced labour, trafficking, undernourished children)> Working conditions (use of pesticides and fertilisers, polluted water, hours
of work, harassment or abuse, discrimination, gender inequality)> Land tenure> Illiteracy and education> Freedom of association, collective bargaining, and farmer organisation

Environmental issues

6> Ageing farmer communities> Power relations (corruption, tax evasion through trade mispricing,
political instability, smallholder famers versus multinational companies)> Ageing & diseased cocoa trees> Low quality of cocoa beans & monoculture> Deforestation, decreasing biodiversity & soil degradation
current production> Climate change> Environmental impact of use and sourcing of fertilisers and pesticides

a severe shortage of cocoa farmers is a realistic scenario

Working conditions on cocoa farms remain very poor.

within the coming years. At the same time, demand forFarmers are exposed hazardous work, non-mechanised

cocoa is expected to rise by 1 million tonnes in the next

production systmes, gender and ethnical discrimination,

decade - a quarter of the current world production.1

Cocoa Barometer 2012

This growth in demand comesprimarily from countries in Eastern
Europe, such as Russia and Poland,
as well as Brazil. Historically one of
the major cocoa exporting nations,
Brazil now consumes almost as
much cocoa as it produces, and has
de facto ceased to be a major cocoa
exporting nation. Consumptionof chocolate in India and China is
not increasing as strongly as somehave previously predicted. Evenin the case of a strong growth of
consumption, it will take many years
for them to become an important
global export market.

current - 2030
Visual 5 Potential decline in workforce 2012
workforce2012

current production2030
atdoubled yield
451.000

finding employment outside the cocoa sector. As a result,

Poor working conditions

1

potential
demandshortage

225.500

at current yieldcurrent
workforce

154.000
Cocoa Barometer 2012potential
demandpotential
workforce3 Certified Cocoa Production

8

9The past years have seen a significant rise in certified

chain, including farmers. Standards Bodies advise farmers

company since acquiring Cadbury in 2010 – at the time aon this model. Current evaluations and impact studies

cocoa production. There are various reasons foron how to implement better farming practices, establish

company leading the way in FLO-certification. Since thatwould do well to incorporate these previous suggestions.

companies to move to certified supply chains; supply

protocols on dealing with environmental and social

time, Mondelez have made no new movements towards

security, demand from consumers, improvement of brandissues, implement auditing and third party verification on

certification, although this can be partly attributed to a

The outcome of these evaluations and pending changes isreputation, credibility of claims, transparency of (a partthese issues, and communicate to consumers at the end

string of internal reorganisations. These have also led tofertile ground for future research.

of) the supply chain, cost reduction in sustainabilityof the trade chains, thereby creating a necessary level ofan expected delay in delivering on their commitment toprocesses, and efficiency, to name a few.

assurance.

fully certify their Marabou and Côte d’Or ranges by the

These developments have led to a healthy competition
between the major Standards Bodies. Production of

Certified cocoa commitmentsof major chocolate manufacturers

Retailers

certified cocoa increased fourfold between 2009 and 2011.

Cadbury was the first major chocolate company to start

Many European retailers are actively promoting

An impressive growth, even if approximately one third ofusing certified cocoa, for their Dairy Milk chocolate

sustainable cocoa, and are sourcing more and morethis amount is inflated because of double or even triple

in 2008. Then, in 2009, Mars was the first major global

sustainable cocoa for their own brands. Most of these arecertification. Additionally, production of certified cocoa

chocolate company to commit to use 100% certified cocoa

major players, such as Ahold (Netherlands), Rewe and Lidlbeans was significantly higher than the sale of certified

for their entire range by 2020. They are following this up(Germany), Sainsbury’s (Great Britain), Carrefour (France),cocoa, with more than a third of the produce eventuallywith regular public disclosure on progress. Ferrero will

and Coop (Switzerland). This adds to the pressure on othernot sold as certified.

source 100% of their cocoa ‘sustainably’ by 2020, and haveretailers, but also on traditional chocolate producers

end of 2012.

released a timeline, but does not specify comprehensively

with well-known brands. If retailers can source cocoa

As a result, there is confusion regarding the amount ofwhat level of assurance the sustainability will befrom sustainable sources, even down to the lower priceavailable certified cocoa. Some companies claim that theymeasured to. Nestlé does not name a specific date whensegments, the more expensive brand names should surely

cannot increase purchases of certified cocoa due to a lackall their cocoa will be compliant to renowned standards,

be able to do the same.

of supply. Standards Bodies and farmers, on the otheralthough in certain countries and on certain sub-brands

hand, indicate that production of certified cocoa is far

they have now committed to 100% certified sourcing,

Evaluation of Standards Bodies

higher than demand. Although there are valid potential

communicating future targets only at regional level. Their

Although it is generally accepted that Standards

reasons for this overshoot, the current significant

recent response to a Fair Labor Association report on

Bodies provide an improvement in economic and living

differences warrant further research on this gap inchild labour in their supply chain is robust. However, itconditions at producer level, there are few independentclaimed supply and claimed demand.

deals mainly with the cocoa sourced through their own

evaluations on the outcomes and impact of the Standards

Cocoa Plan, with the vast majority of their supply being

within cocoa. However, evaluations for Rainforest

FLO, Rainforest Alliance,
Organic, and UTZ Certified

unaffected by these plans. Recently, Hershey has made a

Alliance, Fairtrade and UTZ Certified are expected tocommitment to 100% certification by 2020, although there

published in the near future. Besides impact evaluations,

The four internationally accepted Standards Bodies

is no transparency at the time of publication as to how

a second important tool in evaluating the actual

are Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International,

they will back up this commitment. They have declined

operations (but not the outcomes and impact) ofRainforest Alliance, Organic, and UTZ Certified. These

repeated invitations by the authors of this BarometerStandards Bodies is the “Continuous Improvement

standards are defined after consultation and in close

to provide information on their future plans. Mondelez

Model”.2 The previous Cocoa Barometer gave various

cooperation with various stakeholders in the cocoa supply(formerly Kraft Foods) are the world’s largest chocolate

suggestions for improvement to Standards Bodies, based

Cocoa Barometer 20122

For a description of this model see TCC Cocoa Barometer 2010.

Cocoa Barometer 2012

10

Visual 6 Production and growth projectionsof certified cocoa by Standards Bodies
2009

2011

2015

+ part soldas certified

also shown
prognosis madein 2009 for 2015

Visual 8 Traders & Grinders

Visual 8 Chocolate Manufacturers
11

2020

2011

2015

2011

98 Kt

2020

8%
25%

50.0008%600.000 T

450 Kt

900 Kt11%62.000560.000 T

11%

%?

8%
450.000 / 35.000

65 Kt

13 Kt

2015

1%

23%

%?

8%

46%

100%

1%

%?

400.000 / 5.500
43 Kt

10%
5 Kt

214 Kt

400 Kt53.000537.811 T

800 Kt%?

8%390.000 / 30.000

45.000

10%

46 Kt

65 Kt
Total

162 Kt

84 Kt

265 Kt474 Kt450.000 T

?

%?

%?

2,235 Kt

1%200.000 / ?

25%

5.000
400.000 T

3%

3%
120.000 / 3.500

Visual 7 Fate of certified cocoa in 201110%

26.000252.000 T

35%

29.000235.000 T

19%

100% certified production
finds other sales channels
is sold as certified

33%

37%

30%

or is of inferior quality

is double certified

Cocoa Barometer 2012

12%
15%

100%

?%

535 Kt1,115 Kt%?

29.500200.000 T%?

Cocoa Barometer 2012

40%

100%

4 Sector Developments

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So many sustainability initiatives have been started in

a common training manual for sustainable cocoa

is under-represented at the time of publication of thisyear the 7th ICCA came into force), aimed at creating a

cocoa in recent years that governments, companies,

production for trainers, training guides for small

document. In most European countries there is also an

sustainable world cocoa market. Though the ICCO plays an

or civil society actors not involved in at least one or

producers and a guide for an internal management

under-representation of civil society, due amongst otherimportant role, especially in research as well as dialogue

two programmes are hard to find. This is a positive

system. It is based on existing experiences that can bereasons to high participation fees.

between consuming and producing nations, it is currently

development, which needs to be matched by public

used by all Standards Bodies. Material is adapted totransparency of these initiatives; on activities, moneys

national needs, for example in legal definitions of (worst

Within the CEN standard, it will be important to havefarmers, traders, unions, non-governmental organisations

spent, and most importantly on impact.

forms of) child labour or in reference to support structures

a high bar, but with a low entry threshold for farmers.

and consumers are not represented, and at which

offered by governments.

Through a stepped approach, they could then be ableindustry has a consultative role. Though the new ICCA

to achieve the high outcomes that the current process

indicates indicates an increased possible participation for

Additional to these individual programmes, a sector-wide

an exclusive government-level organisation in whichand pre-competitive approach to the issues is necessary.

Though its initial phase is now in the winding-down

envisions. If this line will be held, it could create a system

stakeholders, increased stakeholder participation is an

Though some interesting steps are being taken in thisstages, it is expected that the majority of progress madethat allows all farmers to be included, whilst at theissue that can and should be addressed.

regard (the Certification Capacity Enhancement andwithin the CCE project will be picked up within the newsame time ensuring a common and high standard forEuropean Committee for Standardisation programmes,

German ‘Forum Nachhaltiger Kakao’. CCE is an importantsustainable cocoa production.

the work of organisations such as the International Cocoa

step in cooperation of the three major Standards Bodies.

Initiative and World Cocoa Foundation, as well as theNonetheless, there is ample room for closer cooperation,

Developments in producing countries

about sustainability in the cocoa economy. Two major

possible outcomes of the World Cocoa Conference), at

specifically at the level of farmer training and auditing,

As recently as the 1970’s, being a cocoa farmer in Westconferences were held, in 2007 in Ghana and in 2009present a true sector-wide approach to the economical,

ensuring better access to standards and certification for

Africa was a desired profession, and cocoa farming couldin Trinidad & Tobago. A Roadmap with key elements

ecological and social crises in the global cocoa production

farmers at lower costs to the producers.

provide sufficiently for the farmer and his/her family.

towards a sustainable cocoa economy was agreed on,

Then, in the 1980’s, under pressure from the IMF and theaddressing the most urgent issues in the cocoa supply

still needs to take significant shape.

The Roundtable for a Sustainable Cocoa Economy (RSCE)
was a multi-stakeholder process set up to foster dialogue

European Committee for Standardisation (CEN)World Bank, the state-owned marketing boards werechain. However, some producing nations objected to

Developments in certification

A second recent development comes from the European

dismantled, with the exception of Ghana’s Cocobod. Since

the outcomes of specifically the Trinidad conference,

Although standards and certification are essential tools

Committee for Standardization (CEN), which plans tothen, West Africa’s cocoa farmers have been increasingly

which has stalled the operation of the RSCE. The RSCE-in the development of sustainable cocoa productions, its

develop a standard around “the sustainability andvulnerable to price volatility, and have often received only

process has provided a platform for dialogue on thebenefits are not always clear to companies, producers,

traceability of cocoa.” Some actors hope, through thea small share of the world market price, while bureaucrats,

need for global and national efforts to explicitly promoteand consumers. Costs and complexity, unverified impact,

CEN process, to develop a common European standard

and influential traders got rich, and the price for cocoa

sustainable cocoa supply chains.

and overlap of standards, all contribute to this. (ISEAL Alliancefor cocoa that could be a valid baseline for theirdeclined. Recently, Côte d’Ivoire has re-established a

2011: 15) Two industry-wide initiatives to tackle some ofsustainability projects. Others, including some non-marketing-board, the Conseil du Café-Cacao (CCC), andPartly as a continuation of the RSCE, the ICCO is organisingthese concerns have recently been launched, the CCE andgovernmental organisations, government representatives,

Nigeria, Cameroon and Indonesia are all working on plans

the World Cocoa Conference (WCC), which will be held in

CEN processes.

and some companies, are worried that the process might

to increase the cocoa exports, but without apparent plans

Côte d’Ivoire in late 2012. Hoping to bring together actors

lead to a lowest common denominator standard, which

to re-establish marketing boards.

from all stakeholder groups, this conference could give

Certification Capacity Enhancement (CCE)might result in a reduction of the gains made in the past

The CCE project is a recent initiative to improve farmer

decades.

access to standards and certification, and is supported

necessary alignment to the future of sustainable cocoa
In the meantime, the International Cocoa Organisation

The WCC might be a useful starting point for launching(ICCO) – the international body of cocoa exporting andsector-wide approaches to dealing with some of the

by a broad range of private sector companies, standards

There are concerns surrounding the inclusion ofimporting countries – has been steadily working away

core issues at hand, provided relevant stakeholders arebodies, and development organisations. CCE developed

stakeholders in the CEN process. Southern civil society

on a progression of International Cocoa Agreements (thissufficiently able to engage in the process.

Cocoa Barometer 2012

Cocoa Barometer 2012

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15

Civil society in West Africa is increasingly starting to

subsidised fertilisers. A useful role for the Cocobod in theDevelopments in consuming countries

the Dutch cocoa sector (industry, government and civil

come together, with the formation of the African Cocoa

coming years could be to support diversification of farmer

Over the last decade, consumer awareness of issues

society) to ensure that 100% of cocoa consumption in the

Coalition, a broad West African cooperation of civil

income.

surrounding sustainable cocoa production has increased.

Netherlands would be certified by 2025, with intermediate

Fuelled by countless campaigns, particularly focused ontargets of 50% by 2015 and 80% by 2020. The monitoring of

farmer groups and trade unions, many of which were

Côte d’Ivoire: Conseil du Café-Cacao (CCC)

child labour and trafficking, media and public awarenessprogress on this declaration is being set-up at the time ofestablished with assistance from European civil society.

This year, Côte d’Ivoire has initiated the rebuilding of a

now is a major driving force behind the move to standards

writing, and initial results should be available soon. At theplatform to regulate the cocoa market, the Conseil duand certification within the chocolate industry.

same time, the ‘Choco Workgroup’ has provided a platform

society, and with the formation of various networks ofElsewhere, significant investments in Asia are seeing a

Café-Cacao (CCC), whose predecessor was disbanded 20

rise of cocoa production in countries such as Indonesia,

years ago.

Vietnam and India, although it will still be a long time

for all stakeholders - including small and medium sized
However, the argument has been made that ten years

enterprises – to engage in dialogue on a sustainable cocoa

of voluntary self-regulation has shown a failure to end

production.

before these regions will be producing the quantities

The CCC aims to improve yield and quality, and plans arelabour abuses in the supply chain. Some say that now iscurrently coming from West Africa.

being made to implement transparent and reliable trade

the time for consuming nations to step up their role as

Sadly, the Tropical Commodity Coalition (TCC), one ofstructures, as well as to strengthen cooperatives and theoversight bodies. At the same time, a public focus is also

the strongest forces within sustainable cocoa in the

Ghana: Cocobod

cooperation of the different players along the cocoa value

needed on the root causes of social wrongs in the cocoa

Netherlands, ended operations at the beginning of 2012.

Being the only country not to disband their marketing

chain. Additionally the CCC guarantees farmers 60% of

supply chain, and a re-emphasis on some of the less well-

The gap the TCC has left has been partially filled by the Voiceboard, Ghana’s state-run marketing board Cocobod, has

the world market price for their cocoa. In order to achieve

known issues in cocoa.

network, as well as the work of individual former member

provided a level of protection to farmers from the worst

this, a similar system to Ghana’s is being worked on,

impacts of liberalisation of the cocoa market. Farmers andselling future production via auctions before harvest.

organisations of the TCC such as Oxfam Novib, Hivos and
An increased cooperation between civil society has

Solidaridad.

created a stronger globally accepted agenda for

multinational cocoa companies accept the Cocobod, andoperate relatively well within its framework. However,

The tense political situation in the country, combined

sustainable cocoa, and also serves to strengthen inter-

Germany

they could be benefitted by a reduction of inefficiencies

with the pending problem of land conflicts, and the fact

stakeholder dialogue. As a consequence of the RSCE,

The “Forum Nachthaltiger Kakao” (Sustainable Cocoa Forum)and bureaucracy within its systems.

that the margin of 60% might not be sufficient to stop

several countries are starting to implement national

was launched in Germany in June 2012 as a multi-stakehold-cocoa being smuggled. It remains to be seen whether

Roundtables on sustainable cocoa, aiming to increase theer process of all major participants in the German value

Being the only institution authorised to export cocoa fromsuch fundamental changes can be enforced in such asustainability of nationally consumed cocoa.

chain from civil society, industry, unions and Government

Ghana, Cocobod sells up to 70% of expected cocoa yields

short period of time, with the tense political situation into traders and on the commodity futures market prior tothe country, combined with the pending problem of land

The Netherlands

ing and improve living conditions of the farmers, as wellthe harvest. As a result, it guarantees a minimum price of

conflicts, and the fact that the margin of 60% might not

Through constructive multi-stakeholder dialogue, manyas to accelerate and improve existing initiated processes.

70% of the world market price at the start of the harvest

be sufficient to stop cocoa being smuggled. However, thesteps are being taken, and in many ways, the Dutch

Provided there is good stakeholder inclusion and that ambi-

season, providing at least a partial protection against

establishment of the CCC can be seen as a positive step ingovernment have had a leading role in the move towards atious goals concerning the identification and the scale up ofvolatility of world market prices.

the restructuring of the world’s largest cocoa producing

sustainable cocoa supply chain. The Netherlands also havebest practise projects are set, this large cocoa market could

nation after a decade of turmoil.

been proactive on an international level, for example inplay a vital role in the transition to a sustainable cocoa

the RSCE’s, within the ICCO and in the current CEN process.

economy. Although there are discussions about the Forum

Cocobod is also responsible for quality checks at theministries. Its aims are to promote sustainable cocoa farm-cocoa collection points, and supervises the buyers. It

setting up sustainable consumption targets, there is a dan-has its own research institutions, coordinates spraying

In 2010 a declaration of intent on sustainable cocoa

ger that setting targets that are less than ambitious would

activities, and is responsible for the distribution of

consumption was signed. This declaration committed

reduce the sustainability debate, rather than enhance it.

Cocoa Barometer 2012

Cocoa Barometer 2012

16

17

Belgium

swiftly ratify and implement ILO core-conventions 138 (onagreed to abolish the worst forms of child labour by 2005,

Most of these programmes report on the amountA panel on a sustainable cocoa value chain was organised

child labour) and 182 (on the worst forms of child labour

although this deadline has been extended several times,of farmers trained, however, few, if any, have beenin October 2011 by Oxfam and Transparency International.

or WFCL), and foster awareness of this issue within theirin the last instance to 2020. It has become obvious thatindependently evaluated on impact, or work with third-

Different stakeholders attended the panel and opened theown countries.

the initial attempts of the industry to join forces and push

party verification. In order to be able to measure thethrough changes have failed.

merit of these programs, further research is needed.

dialogue on challenges and chances to work towards a

The next Cocoa Barometer will specifically look at

Belgian sustainable cocoa chain.

The resolution denounces the breaches of humanAt present, there are discussions among stakeholders

rights, points out the seriousness of the issue in the

In 2010, the chocolate industry, together with government

these programmes, and the authors of this document

towards setting up a Belgian roundtable on sustainablecocoa sector and calls for concrete action. However,officials of the United States, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana,strongly urge the private initiatives to have independentcocoa. Harbouring the second biggest cocoa import port

there are still urgent actions underexposed in theissued a Joint Declaration and a Framework of Actions

evaluations publically available by the middle of 2013.

in Europe, world’s biggest processing factory, a flourishing

resolution. The proposed actions are mainly targeting

to implement the Harkin-Engel Protocol. The new target

sector of fine Belgian chocolates, and a Belgian Chocolate

states. Nevertheless, it is necessary that, at the European

now is to reduce worst forms of child labour 70% by 2020,

Besides the company-owned projects, there is also a

Code, it is time for improvement of sustainability of theCommission and Parliament level, legally binding

although a benchmark by which this reduction can bevariety of industry-wide initiatives which focus on a

Belgian market. There is a crucial role for the federal

measures are also outlined for other stakeholders in themeasured has not been agreed on.

sustainable cocoa production, including the International

government to take in the process.

supply chain

Cocoa Initiative, the World Cocoa Foundation, and theThough turn-of-century legislative processes initiated theDutch Sustainable Trade Initiative.

Switzerland

Australia & New Zealandglobal dialogue on sustainable cocoa, specifically on child

Unlike many of Switzerland’s European counterparts,

The Australian Government has so far resisted

labour-related issues, and though the USA is the world’s

International Cocoa Initiative (ICI)

there is a lack of a coordinated and comprehensive

campaigns from civil society groups to take any active

single largest consumer of cocoa, it is disappointing that

The ICI was founded in response to the Harkin-Engel

approach to sustainable cocoa. The State Secretariat

role in addressing forced labour and child labour in theat present the government has become largely inactive

protocol, to create an answer to eliminating Worst

for Economic Affairs (SECO) and the Swiss Agency for

production of cocoa imported into Australia. However,on the issue, leaving the brunt of the work to civil society

Forms of Child Labour (WFCL), child labour and Forced

Development and Cooperation (SCD), provide support

in 2011 the Department of Foreign Affairs and Tradeorganisations in the United States.

Adult Labour (FAL). The main thrust of their work has

for projects in Indonesia and Ghana, in cooperation withconfirmed at a Parliamentary hearing that World

Swiss companies and development NGOs, and there

Trade Organisation rules would not prevent consumer

Industry initiatives

community-driven action to eliminate WFCL. From an

is activity in civil society. However, it is surprising thatgovernments from being able to take such action. There

Various industry-led initiatives on sustainability haveinitial scope of targeting the entire cocoa sector in Côte

Switzerland, which houses two of the world’s largest

has been no roundtable of chocolate companies inbeen launched in the past few years. Industry investments

d’Ivoire and Ghana, its ambitions and goals have been

chocolate companies, is not taking a more active role,

Australia. Thus, action in Australia has been a series of

aim to identify farmers, improve farming methods, andslowly readjusted to be a clearinghouse of best practices,

both on a national and on a global level.

community campaigns targeting individual brands. These

increase yield across the board. This in turn is expected toand to be an advocate for best practices to be adopted bycampaigns have had some success.

lead to an increase in livelihoods for the farmers, thereby

relevant actors within cocoa producing communities.

EUbeen community-level sensitization, mobilization andincreasing sustainability in the long term. Examples ofWhen the European Union ratified the new InternationalUSAthese industry-led initiatives include Armajaro’s “Source

Recently the ICI has found a new impulse, coming

Cocoa Agreement in the spring of 2012, the parliamentary

In 2001 the United States threatened to ban the import

Trust”, Barry Callebaut’s “Partenaire de Qualité” (QPP),

alongside chocolate manufacturers and local authorities

Committee on International Trade (INTA) decided to add aof cocoa from regions where the worst forms of child

Nestlé’s “Cocoa Plan”, and Mars’ “iMPACT” and “Vision forto jointly tackle the child labour issues within their supply

resolution on (the worst forms of) child labour, since theselabour are widespread. Under pressure from the chocolatechange” programmes.

chains. An increase of participation of stakeholders,points were hardly mentioned in the ICCA. This resolution

industry, the legislation ended up as the voluntary Harkin-particularly civil society actors, is much needed. Clear

urges all cocoa producing states that have not done so toEngel Protocol. In this Protocol, the chocolate industry

communication of goals and ambitions, coupled with a

Cocoa Barometer 2012

Cocoa Barometer 2012

5 Beyond Productivity

18

19

holistic agenda for the sector, would strengthen its work.

Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH)

There are many reasons for the poverty and poor living

falling prices at all. A notable exception is Ghana, where

In that light, it is a good step that the ICI have held their

IDH has been one of the major catalysts towards

conditions of cocoa farmers and their workers; lowrelative security is provided within the harvest season

first external stakeholder meeting in November 2012.

mainstreaming sustainable cocoa through its support

income due to volatility of prices, high living costs, athrough Cocobod’s price guarantee. In Côte d’Ivoire, theFunding and support from various stakeholders continue

for UTZ Certified cocoa. Providing fund-matching forlarge number of dependents per cocoa farmer, lack ofrecent founding of the CCC might be a good step towards

to be necessary for the ICI to deliver and increase concrete

participating companies, its scope of operations has been

infrastructure (including roads, health facilities, schools,

the same direction, although it is too early to be able toresults on the ground in reducing (worst forms of) childincreasing throughout West African cocoa for the pastand electricity), and, despite efforts in recent years, there

measure any impact. In fact, in its first year of operation,

labour in West African cocoa.

years. Like many other current sustainability projects,

still remains a serious lack of farmer training capacity.

the CCC already faces a major deficit due to a decrease of
the cocoa price, a risk that Ghana’s Cocobod also regularly

its focus is on increasing yield and improving farming

World Cocoa Foundation (WCF)

practices, with primarily social indicators absent inThough there is a wide range of projects currently aimed

The WCF is a global industry-based foundation, with more

reporting and objectives.

at increasing sustainable cocoa production, there seems
to be little central communication and coordination ofthan 90 member companies, representing 80% of the
global cocoa and chocolate market. Its main goal is to

Its initial goal of having a broad variety of industry

these projects. There is a strong competitive edge to many

promote sustainable cocoa by financing and organising apartners actively participating in the project seems toof these programmes, where it would be beneficial for

broad range of programs to support the farmers.

have been reached, although it has primarily attracted

collective and pre-competitive sector-wide approaches tocooperation of multinational corporations, with only abe implemented.

Its Cocoa Livelihoods Program aims to improve thefaces.

Visual 9 Changes in cocoa prices 1980-2012$ 5.265+$ 4.388

few small and medium enterprises involved.
$ 3.105

All current sustainable cocoa projects focus mostly on

functioning of farmers organisations, trains farmers ingood agricultural practices to increase productivity andPartners involved in IDH are investing millions in building

increasing yields, at least in practice. Though increasing

quality and supports the foundation of Farmer Businessservice infrastructure for their farmers, but at present

yields is a necessity, the issues facing a sustainable cocoa

Schools to enhance the skills of farmers not only on cocoa

there is no systematic assessment or benchmarking to

supply chain, and therefore the needed solutions, arebut also to diversify produce other crops. CocoaMAP,

understand what really works, what is scalable, and how

much broader. A wider set of tools and interventions arewhich was launched in the fall of 2012, is a data-collection

to drive cost-efficiencies. Such assessments are necessary

necessary.

tool to measure progress on sustainability in the cocoa

to fill in the knowledge gap, creating greater insights

sector, in a broad sense. Its aim is to have a constantfor the public domain but also for industry investment

Price volatility

flow of information with a variety of indicators on thedecision-making. Wageningen Univeristy (WUR) and

Between 1980 and 2000, the price for a tonne of cocoa

developments towards sustainable cocoa production.

IDH have therefore initiated a study to redefine impact

decreased from $5.265 to $1.253.3 Although the price ofreporting on their projects. Besides that the Dutchcocoa has doubled in the past decade, it still remains at

Many of the WCF’s projects are run in cooperation with

Ministry of Foreign Affairs is setting up an evaluation

merely half the level of 1980. Not only are the prices low,

its industry members. As such WCF plays an important

program with IDH. However, no independent public

daily cocoa prices vary wildly, further exacerbating therole in the implementation of sustainability projects inevaluations of projects and impacts have been published.

situation of farmers.

$ 2.342$ 1.969

80/81

85/86

90/91

95/96

05/06

10/11

Oct 11/Mar 12– $ 877

against price fluctuations through long-term supply
contracts, and by hedging transactions at the cocoa
stock exchange, farmers have no such protection against
Price adjusted for inflation.

00/01

-169

–
–

Cocoa Barometer 2012

– $ 2.160–– $ 3.296 – $ 3.203

3

+ 217

–

While the major companies are able to protect themselves

Cocoa Barometer 2012

$ 1.732$ 1.253

producing regions. However, public evaluation of projects
and impacts are a necessary next step.

$ 2.062–– $ 4.012–– $ 3.533’07–– $ 2.923

Visual 10 Volatility of market prices
20

21

+843
+ 748
+ 715

+493

the sustainability projects are not present in remoteevaluations on the impact of standards and certification

trees. Biodiversity throughout the cocoa belt has sufferedareas because of a lack of transportation, roads, andon cocoa farmer income, although several such studies

major blows, mainly because of cocoa. In many cocoa-

accommodation (FLA 2012: 24).

are in the pipeline. Initial findings from preliminary

producing regions, there is virtually no original forest left.

research suggest that adhering to standards through$ 2.342+ 217$2.889$3.133$2.887$2.581$1.998-385

Oct 11/Mar 12
-169
-613
-625

A 2008 report issued by the Bill & Melinda Gates

certification is financially profitable. However, some ofThis is not just a historic process. As recently as a few

Foundation claimed that West African cocoa yields could

these studies have been based on the assumptions of highyears ago, Ghana’s already small forest areas were in

be significantly raised, from 400 to 980 kg per hectare, by

cocoa prices.

decline by 2% a year, mostly due to cocoa (Hatloy et al. 2012: 17-18).

introducing better farming practices. This would, however,Some of the complexities surrounding measuring

least partially because of migration, has led to immense

fertilisers and low taxes, these investments could be

the financial benefits of certification come from thepressure on land and forests. The problem is aggravatedprofitable for Ghanaian farmers. In contrast, income ofvarying costs of certification (although initial costs

by climate change. According to recent forecasts the areas

farmers in Côte d’Ivoire would only marginally increase, due

are always high), and also the variable added income

suitable for cocoa plantations will diminish dramaticallyto higher taxes and margins of the cocoa traders, and thethrough premiums (part of which may not reach farm

until 2050 (Climate Change/CIAT 2011).

absence of subsidies for fertilisers (BMGF 2008: 15-16).

level). According to a recent calculation of the situationon the cocoa market, most of the extra income comesLand tenure, as a result, has become an issue in several

But investments can also lead to losses. In a project infrom premiums, which might decline when certification

ways. Conflicts about ownership of land were one of theIndonesia, millions of seedlings were distributed, andbecomes mainstream. (KPMG 2012: 64).

underlying reasons for the recent civil war in Côte d’Ivoire.

-822
’07

–

’08

’09

’10

’11

Years’ average / highest day price / lowest day price

In Côte d’Ivoire, population increase in cocoa regions, atalso lead to a significant rise in costs. Due to subsidised

In addition, many migrant communities find themselvesadvice was provided on proper of use of fertilizer, handling$ 2.923of seedlings, and pest-control. However, bad weather andSmallholder farmers and cooperatives seeking

unable to diversify their crops, due to land tenure laws,

a cloning technique originally intended to hasten seedcertification from multiple standards – often covering a

and are caught in the poverty trap of growing cocoa. In

Return on investment

production has lead to misshapen trees that yield small,

majority of the same issues – face high administrative andmany West African communities, additionally, land rights

Yield increases do not necessarily guarantee higher

discoloured beans. Corruption, insufficient farmer training,handling costs. Ways need to be found to reduce these

become problematic when coupled with gender, withincomes, because of higher costs. Positive results areand faults by nursery workers have now caused farmers

costs. Tools for multiple auditing have been developed,

ownership and decision-making power often not being

dependent on availability of better planting material,

to start cutting down cocoa trees to make way for oil palm

and initial steps in creating joint training have beenaccessible for women, even when they are the ones doing

fertilisers and pesticides, as well as improved husbandry,

plantations that bring better returns (Pardomuan/Taylor 2012).

undertaken through the aforementioned CCE project. A

a lot of the work.

logical and useful next step would be to streamline thewhich are all costs to be taken out of the farmer’s income.
Besides these investments in their farms, farmers must

More research has to be done on the potential profitability

auditing and compliancy at farm level, with Standards

Environmental effects of yield increase

also increase their workload.

of yield increase, on the risks involved and how to mitigate

Bodies accepting each other‘s audits on those areas were

Current projects for increasing yield are dependent on athem, on the likelihood of investments due to lack ofoverlap is evident.

significant increase in the use of fertilisers and pesticides.

In some cases, investments can clearly be beneficial, as

funding, and on best ways to make financing available.

However, seeing such an increase across the entire cocoa

Land use and tenure

growing community is not feasible, for both economic

Uncertain profits of certification

For decades, expanding cocoa production mostly meantand environmental reasons.

Most experts operate under the assumption thatclearing virgin forest to plant cocoa trees. Such practices

good results in smaller pilot projects can be replicatedcertification against a standard brings financial benefits toare not possible any more; most of the fertile land in West

If all cocoa farmers in Ghana were to use the amounts

indefinitely. In Côte d’Ivoire, for example, most of

farmers. However, at present, there are few independent

Africa suitable for cocoa is already planted with cocoaof fertilisers and pesticides currently propagated by theMars’ Sulawesi project shows; despite increased costs,
3.626

3.730

profits rose from $694 a year to $3.725 (World Agroforestry

Cocoa Barometer 2012

2.065

2.748

2.276

1.956

1.829

2.215

3.296

3.637

Centre 2011: 13). However, it is an open question whether

Cocoa Barometer 2012

22

23

various programmes, it would probably bankrupt Cocobod

One possible way to overcome this problem would be for(Hütz-Adams 2012: 28-29) Diversification of crops is crucial in ordernon-governmental organisations, development assistance

who subsidises their use. In Côte d’Ivoire, most farmers arebanks operating in rural areas to make credit available forto improve income and living conditions in the cocoa belt.

organisations, and some companies are now starting tosimply not capable of paying for fertilisers and pesticides.

smallholder agriculture enabling small-scale farmers to(e.g. BMGF 2008; KPMG 2011; FLA 2012)

advise farmers how to diversify production. This could

Additionally, an extensive increase of mineral fertilisers

access credit or to save money. Such systems are included

will destroy the ecology of the North African regions

in very few of the projects led by companies. GIZ is trying

A move away from monoculture would not only provide

to go on growing cocoa even in times of low prices, by

where these minerals are mined, increasing pesticide use

to set up a system with the governments of Nigeria,

protection against extreme market fluctuations, thebalancing the lower cocoa income by additional income

will detrimentally affect the quality of local water sources,

Cameroon, Côte d‘Ivoire, Cocobod and the WCF, in close

other crops they could grow could increase their income

from other crops.

besides the obvious health hazard of using pesticides.

cooperation with local NGOs, but there is still a long way

considerably. (GIZ/WCF 2011: 33, BMGF 2008: 18) Standards Bodies,

Organic production, combined with better farming

to go to make credits and agricultural inputs available andpractises, in pilot projects in Nigeria has lead to goodaffordable for small-scale farmers.

results; increased yields combined with a significant lower
use of pesticides and fertilizer lead to higher incomes, andLocal infrastructure

might be a way forward. (Faturoti et al. 2012: 435)

A significant improvement of local infrastructure is

improve the farmers’ livelihoods and encourage themSocial Issues

Visual 11 income effects of yield increase

Social issues are still a major problem in cocoa farming;
gender based inequalities, illiteracy, hazardous working
conditions, long working hours, lack of education, childtrafficking, and (worst forms of) child labour, to name$ 3.189

necessary, including building roads and warehousing,a few, are still all too commonplace throughout the

To this end, further research is necessary, as well as ain order for sustainability projects to be rolled out

cocoa belt. Though many of the current projects claim

careful approach in rolling out new projects that might

across all cocoa growing regions. Though in essence a

to deal with these issues, key performance indicators on

have negative environmental effects. Increasing yield is

responsibility of local governments, this is in the directthese projects often insufficiently reflect the declareda necessity, but all efforts should be made to ensure thisinterest of all involved in the cocoa supply chain. Overintentions. Improving yields, and even improving income,happens with as little damage to environment as possible.

decades, the tax revenues from the cocoa trade have notare not direct guarantees that the ‘softer’ problems will

led to corresponding investments in the infrastructures

also be diminished.

Access to credit and agricultural inputs

in the cocoa growing regions. Industry, government

The vast majority of farmers do not have sufficient accessand developmental investments in local infrastructure

to inputs and training, and when they do, they often

are sorely needed. Additionally, there is a role forcannot afford them (World Bank 2011: 47). All the predictions on

governments of consumer countries to assist producer

yield increase, through more or better inputs and thecountry governments on eliminating trade mispricing tax

implementation of better farming practices, are based

$ 253

$ 957

avoidance by cocoa traders.
$ 434

on the assumption that the farmers are able to invest.
Farmers could end up in a poverty trap; without capital

Diversification

investments their yields cannot increase, but their current

Whereas many cocoa farmers are entirely dependent on

Gap to absolute poverty

Current projects should make a conscious effort toincorporate these issues into their core plans and$ 278

Additional income fromincreased FOB price$ 957

Additional income fromcrop diversification

ensure that the issues are not merely transferred to other

Additional income fromincreased productivity

schools within acceptable distance of all cocoa growing$ 252

reporting. Remediation programmes, such as FLO’s recent
child labour remediation strategy, are a necessity toregions or other branches of industry. There is a need forcommunities. Lastly, farmer training programmes needcapital does not give them any room for investment

the cocoa prices for their survival, chocolate companies

to increase the focus on social elements within their(Hainmueller/Hiscox/Tampe 2011: 3). As a result, certification could thenare much less vulnerable to fluctuations in market prices.

programmes, and ensure that farmers are sufficiently

become unobtainable for small-scale farmers (KPMG 2012: 45).

In West Africa cocoa is primarily a monoculture crop,

sensitised to the advantages of tackling social issues.

while for chocolate companies the cost of cocoa is only
one factor among many. In Europe, the expenses for cocoamake up only 7% or less of the price of a bar of chocolate.
Cocoa Barometer 2012

$ 2.005

Ghana$ 1.164

Current total income
per household

Cote d’ivoire

Cocoa Barometer 2012

6 Recommendations

Recommendation 1:
Increase, diversify& stabilise income of farmers

Recommendation 2:
Improve infraand support structure

Recommendation 3:
Increase pre-competitive
collaboration

Recommendation 4:
Create a level playing field

Recommendation 5:
Prioritise social issues andworking conditions> Increased collaboration between
Standards Bodies should be
actively pursued, beyond
streamlining of curriculum
and farmer training, to include
auditing> Besides national roundtables,
consuming and producing
nations should actively pursue
cooperation at creating
global common definitions ofsustainability and supporting
sustainable cocoa production.
> All parties should ensure thatadhering to fundamental humanrights are addressed in precompetitive cooperation.

> Adopt a common set of measuring
tools and sustainability standards(including a continuous
improvement standard).
> Make compliancy to thesestandards a ‘license to operate’ forthe sector.
> Increase transparency, on datasuch as number of farmers
reached, figures on costs andimprovements achieved> Evaluate all projects by industry
and Standards Bodies on aregular basis, to a common
evaluation standard (including thecontinuous improvement model),ensuring compatibility andbenchmarking of evaluations.
> Promote financial transparency
through country-by-countryreporting for multinational
corporations on prevention of tax
avoidance and corruption and toensure that revenues from cocoa
can be invested in cocoa projects> Promote the Implementation of
the Guiding Principles on Businessand Human Rights in order to haveindividual monitoring systems
to prevent further human rights
violations in the cocoa sector.

> Farmer training programmes
need to be based on an inventory
and prioritisation of all issues,
including the social ones, andensure that farmers are able
to include social issues in theiridentification and prioritisation ofproblems.
> Current projects should make aconscious effort to incorporate
these issues into their core plans
and reporting, at minimum
including social issues andworking conditions within their
Key Performance Indicators andCSR reporting.
> Individual companies should
issue third party independent
reports on social issues andworking conditions (such as FLA’s
child labour research for Nestlé).
Recommendations and plansof actions should be set up in
response, covering the entirety of
the cocoa supply chain.
> Remediation programmes, suchas FLO’s recent child labour
remediation strategy, are anecessity to ensure that the issues
are not merely transferred toother regions or other branches ofindustry.

24

25> Living income in the cocoa
sector should be internationallydefined and accepted, and shouldbe central to all sustainability
programmes. Sector-wide dialogue
is necessary to ensure thishappens, for example through theformation of a multi-stakeholder
body.
> Diversification of income isessential to creating stable andsufficient income for farmers. All
initiatives should provide sufficient
focus on this aspect of farmer
training and awareness.
> Long-term relationships between
traders and farmers, including
up-front payments covering costof production, can lead to a faircontract farming system, whererisks to price volatility are sharedequitably.
> Private or state-run marketingboards, such as Cocobod and CCC,
should be set up in all major cocoagrowing nations to foster stabilityof prices. Existing storage facilities
could be expanded and utilised tostabilise price in years of bumper
harvests. Alternatively, a Global
Fund could be set up to fulfil thisrole on a global level.
> Increase prices of cocoa paid atfarm level.

> Roads, water supply, healthcare,primary and secondary education,
farmer training facilities,
warehousing, and improved
access to market information
are all essential ingredients of a
locally functioning infrastructure.

> It is in businesses’ interest to
directly support investments inprojects that further developthese issues.
> Structurally, a larger part oftaxation derived from the sector
needs to be reinvested in local
infrastructure.
> Financial institutions should
develop agricultural services,
enabling small-scale farmers
to access credit, start a saving
system, and ensure small-scale
farmers can invest in cocoa
production and diversification of
products, as well as participate
in standard and certification
programmes.
> Ensure that farmer training(including access to certification)
is available to all cocoa farmers.

Cocoa Barometer 2012

Cocoa Barometer 2012

7 Sources of Information

26

Justification of figures and tables
Visual 1: Estimates based on figures of the World Cocoa Foundation
http://worldcocoafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/CocoaMarket-Update-as-of-3.20.2012.pdf
Visual 2: Source: ICCO 2012, Table 4
Visual 3: We have shown the 2011/2012 growing season insteadof the 2010/2011 growing season, due to the exceptional and nonrepresentative harvest of 2010/2011. Source: ICCO 2012: Table 1(2011/2012 forecasts) / for 2020/21: World Agroforestry Centre 2011: 2
Visual 4: UNDP and World Bank define poverty to be under $2 aday, absolute poverty $1,25. These definitions are based on parity
purchasing power instead of absolute dollars, and are certainly not
undisputed (definitions could be on the very low side).
Calculations on farmer income from cocoa are currently notavailable, so we have attempted to make a rough indication, basedon available documentation. We have taken farm size, average
yield per hectare, FOB price and the percentage that farmers can be
expected to receive of the FOB, as well as average costs for cocoa
farming. The results can be found in the table below.
These costs and income are only from cocoa, so where farmers haveadditional income this income will be higher. However, cocoa ismostly a monoculture crop at present, so this income is generally
speaking the same as total farm income. Obviously, there are manyother variables, such as variations of price per region, world market
price, access to markets etc, but the authors believe this to be atleast a reasonable approximation of reality.
Sources: Number of dependants: Ghana: Hainmueller/Hiscox/
Tampe 2011: 11; Côte d’Ivoire: Republic of Côte d’Ivoire 2008: 40.
Farm size: Ghana: Hainmueller/Hiscox/Tampe 2011: 15; Côte d’Ivoire:
FLA 2012: 31. Costs: Ghana & Côte d’Ivoire: KPMG 2012: 60-62
Average household income
Dependents
Yield (tonnes per ha)
Average farm size (in ha)
FOB
Share of FOB for farmer
Costs per hectare

Ghana
3
0,5
1,5
$2.50070%$162

Côte d’Ivoire
60,52$2.50050%$454Visual 5: West Africa’s cocoa farming population could decline
by as much as 80% in the next two decades. The average ageof farmers in West Africa is currently within ten years of life
expectancy, and only a fifth of children growing up in cocoa want
to be cocoa farmers. Based on figures by Hainmueller/Hiscox/
Tampe 2011, UNDP etc.
Visual 6: Data graciously provided by the Standards Bodies, basedon a questionnaire. Only Organic didn’t respond. In light grey thecommitments as made for the 2010 Cocoa Barometer
Visual 7: Based on input from Standards Bodies. Sadly, Organic
is not shown, as they failed to answer to repeated requests for
information.
Visual 8: Data graciously provided by the companies. 13 major
grinders and chocolate manufacturers were sent a questionnaire,
which was (partially) returned by ADM, Armajaro, Blommer,
Barry Callebaut, Cargill, Delfi/Petra Foods, Ecom, Ferrero, Olam,Mars, Mondelez, and Nestlé. Only Hershey failed to respondwith numbers. As the data submitted in the responses were noteasily comparable, and credibility issues arose regarding thereal measurement programs used, this calculation provides only
a coarse estimation of the current situation. Because of trade,double registration at Trader/Grinder level is not only possible, it
is inevitable.
Although Ferrero has committed to 100% ‘sustainable’ cocoa
sourcing by 2020, their sourcing does not follow the conventional
major standards bodies of RA/FT/UTZ/Org, although it does entail
third-party independent verification at farm level.
Visual 9: Prices adjusted for inflation, based on constant 2010/2011
indexations. Source: ICCO 2012a, Table 2
The prices of the 2011/2012 growing season have been added, forthe same reason as in Visual 4.
Visual 10: Source ICCO 2012, Table 9

Literature

Colophon

A complete list of literature can be found on:www.cocoabarometer.org/literature

Citation:
Hütz-Adams, F. and Fountain, A.C. (2012): Cocoa Barometer 2012
Text: Friedel Hütz-Adams (Südwind-Institut), Antonie Fountain(STOP THE TRAFFIK)
Additional Contributions: Catherine van der Wees (Hivos),
Rudolf Scheffer (Oxfam Novib), Jan ‘t Lam (Solidaridad), Marieke
Poissonnier (Oxfam Wereldwinkels), Andrea Hüsser (Berne
Declaration), Mark Zirnsak (STOP THE TRAFFIK), Mieke van Reenen,
Gijs Verbraak, Sjoerd Panhuijsen
Design: Tegenwind, Roelant Meijer, Utrecht
Print: Drukkerij Mostert & van Onderen, Leiden

Abbreviations
ADM
CEN
CCC
CCE
EU
FAL
FLO
GIZ
ICCA
ICCO
ICI
IDH
ILO
INTA
NGO
RSCE
STCP

Archer Daniels Midland
European Committee for Standardisation
Conseil du Café-Cacao
Certification Capacity Enhancement
European Union
Forced Adult Labour
Fairtrade Labelling Organization
Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit
International Cocoa Agreement
International Cocoa Organization
International Cocoa Initiative
Initiatief Duurzame Handel(Dutch SustainableTrade Initiative)
International Labour Organisation
EU Parliamentary Committee on International Trade
Non Governmental Organization
Roundtable for a Sustainable Cocoa Economy
Sustainable Tree Crop Program

TCC
WCC
WCF
WFCL

Tropical Commodity Coalition
World Cocoa Conference
World Cocoa Foundation
Worst Forms of Child Labour

We appreciate the effort of companies and standards bodies inanswering our questionnaires. Special thanks goes to Gijs Verbraak,Sjoerd Panhuijsen, and Mieke van Reenen, of the former TCC, whose
contribution to this Barometer has been invaluable.
We acknowledge the support of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
The final responsibility for the content and the views expressed inthis publication lies solely with the authors.

Participating organisations:
VOICE Network (members marked with a *)Stop The Traffik*
Südwind-Institut*
Berne Declaration*
Oxfam Wereldwinkels*
FNV Bondgenoten*
Oxfam Novib*
Solidaridad
Hivos
Requests for information can be addressed toAntonie Fountain, Stop The Traffik
antonie@cocoabarometer.org+31 20 420 39 52

Visual 11: Source: BMGF 2008. Though there are quite a few
assumptions made by McKinsey in this calculation, the basic
premise is that yield increase alone will just not be able to raise
the income of farmers sufficiently.
Cocoa Barometer 2012

Cocoa Barometer 201227

Cocoa Barometer 201228

3

The coming decade will see a significant rise in demandThis requires individual responsibility and commitment,

for cocoa while current plantations and their workers areas well as an increased collective approach. Industry,ageing, reducing yields if nothing is done. At the same

government, standards bodies, and civil society musttime, farmer population will decline. Destitute poverty,

find ways to cooperate more closely, at competitive, but

dismal working conditions, and uncertain land rights will

especially at pre-competitive levels.

all contribute to these changes.
Business as usual is not going to solve the crisis that
To combat these challenges, certification of farms against

the cocoa sector is in. Significant changes must happen,a voluntary standard is being rolled out, yield increase

and they need to start happening soon. This Barometer

programmes are being implemented throughout Westis a call for action, specifically on the issues that are

Africa’s cocoa belt, companies and consuming nations are

not receiving sufficient attention. Though some steps

embarking on commitments to the usage of certified andin this direction are already being taken, we must go

otherwise sustainable cocoa, and producing nations are‘Beyond Productivity’, and embrace a holistic approach to

implementing various programmes and Roundtables.

sustainable cocoa.

Solutions will need to go ‘beyond productivity’ to deal

An approach that will ensure that in generations to comewith the root of the crisis in cocoa production; generating

there will be a vibrant cocoa growing community.

income stability, reducing price volatility, improving local

A community where farmers are proud to be cocoa

infra- and support structure, ensuring access to financefarmers. Because of the quality of their product, but –and agricultural inputs, reducing negative environmental

even more importantly – because of the quality of life

effects, and improving social and labour conditions.

that growing cocoa has made possible for them.

Common standards need to include all elements relevant
for the whole chain, and be built on priority setting andcontinual improvement.

Cocoa Barometer 2012

Cocoa Barometer 2012

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Cocoa Barometer 2012