Contact
Philippe Bastide
Cocoa Supply Chain Correspondent
Montpellier, France
E-mail
Cocoa
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3.5 million producers in the South supply 3.5 million tonnes of cocoa, which are primarily consumed in the North; cocoa growing covers almost 1 0 million hectares worldwide. However, the revenue generated is currently limited by poor yields, a lack of rewards for quality, and a gradual loss of know-how.
The issues
Despite high prices, the growth in cocoa supplies has ground to a halt. Indeed, there are even signs of a drop in production. There are many possible causes: ageing farmers and plantings, a drop in soil fertility, and low productivity, which exacerbate the competition with other, more lucrative crops such as rubber and oil palm, which exert much greater environmental pressure (monocultures) and social pressure (labour, population movements). Cocoa bean users are trying to adapt to these factors, while demand from chocolate consumers is both growing and becoming more diverse.
From producer to consumer, the main issues surrounding sustainable cocoa growing are:
- boosting producer incomes and promoting their know-how;
- mastering and intensifying production to make the crop more competitive, while respecting the environment long-term;
- controlling the impact of pests and diseases using integrated control methods;
- securing supplies so as to meet demand, while preserving the sanitary quality of cocoa-based products.
CIRAD's role
CIRAD supports both producers and players further downstream in the supply chain, by developing scientific and technical innovations aimed at ensuring a sustainable cocoa economy. Its research centres on:
- creating a range of more productive and/or better quality planting material;
- developing appropriate control methods;
- building decision support tools to establish viability thresholds for cocoa farms, depending on farm size and target markets;
- developing tools to assist in defining and recognizing quality, by studying the determining factors and by labelling.