Charity calls for ‘Big Chocolate’ to pay more to Ghana’s cocoa farmers after it revealed that their net incomes have fallen on average by 16% since 2020, with women’s incomes falling by nearly 22%.
Both countries’ economies have been ‘hit hard by the triple shock of the Covid-19 pandemic, global financial tightening, and adverse spillovers from Russia’s war in Ukraine’.
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) has reported cocoa prices at the halfway mark of the year (2022-23) of the first position of cocoa futures were broadly higher year-on-year on both the London and New York markets.
The Cocoa Coalition, a multi-stakeholder initiative set up to prevent and address child labour and forced labour in the cocoa sector, has released a new position paper supporting the objectives of the proposed EU Regulation on Prohibiting Products Made...
Weakness in global cocoa demand weighed on cocoa prices, barchart.com reported, as modest losses at the end of last week were posted with NY cocoa falling to a 1-month low and London cocoa falling to a five-week low.
Despite numerous government and industry pledges to reduce deforestation in Ghana, forest loss in the West African country remains high, claims Mighty Earth.
Recent flash flooding in West and Central Africa has hindered Cote d’Ivoire’s transportation of cocoa beans from the farms to the ports and could be the reason for the reduction of cocoa arrivals seen during the first few weeks of the main 2022-23 season...
Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, the world’s largest cocoa-growing countries, have stepped up their pressure on the chocolate industry by threatening to punish companies visiting their farms to estimate harvests, which is a key factor in forecasting the price...
Analysts and traders are keeping a close eye on an ongoing strike by dock workers at San Pedro, one of Cote d’Ivoire’s two main ports, while ICE NY cocoa closed up +72 (+2.96%), and December ICE London cocoa closed up +9 (+0.44%).
The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) wrapped up a successful Partnership Meeting, despite the absence of the two main producer countries, with new commitments announced on making cocoa supply chains more sustainable and achieving more impact in helping farmers...
The International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) 2021 annual report is the first in the organisation's new five-year strategy with the overarching aim to cover 100% of the cocoa supply chain in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana with systems that prevent and address...
Ghana Gold, a new chocolate bar range from ethical bean-to-bar chocolate company MIA (Made in Africa), has struck a deal with Empire Bespoke Foods to import and distribute the product throughout the UK.
Ghanaian cocoa processing company Niche Cocoa has announced a major investment in the US with the opening of a manufacturing facility in Franklin, Wisconsin.
Salon du Chocolat is set to open its doors to the public and trade at the Parc des Expositions, Porte de Versailles in Paris, when it returns to its usual slot from 28 October to 1 November.
The Ghanaian Government has increased the producer price of Cocoa by 21% for the 2022-2023 crop season – and said it will be ready for new EU rules on cocoa imports.
Mars Wrigley has declared that from 2023, 100% of the cocoa purchased for its direct factory operations in Europe will be verified as ‘responsibly sourced cocoa’.
ofi (olam food ingredients), a global leader in naturally good food and beverage ingredients, says it has substantially advanced towards the climate goals stated in its Cocoa Compass sustainability report – but issued a call for the EU to work with other...
Mars Wrigley has claimed significant progress on its Women for Change programme with CARE and key deforestation-free milestones with the release this month of its Cocoa for Generations sustainability report.
In this exclusive op-ed for ConfectioneryNews by Brett Beach, Co-founder of sustainable chocolate brand Made in Africa (MIA), and Dr Kristy Leissle, a member of CN’s editorial board and the author of numerous books and articles on cocoa and industry politics,...
The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) has forecast a 230,000-tonne global cocoa deficit in the current 2021-22 season (October-September), up from a previous projection of a deficit of 174,000 tonnes.
Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, has doubled down on the country’s pledge to increase its cocoa production from the present 340,000 tonnes to 500,000 tonnes by 2024.
Cocoa prices closed up on Wednesday (10 August) +35 (+1.48%), and September ICE London cocoa #7 (CAU22) closed up +3 (+0.17%) after support from the sharp sell-off in the dollar, which supported commodity prices in general.
The two world's biggest cocoa producers, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, have announced they are raising the price of their beans to help farmers earn a decent living income.
Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, along with the 35 companies in the Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI), have reported progress made towards ending deforestation in the two cocoa-growing countries.
Swiss-Ghanaian start-up Koa has secured two major investments to scale up its impact in the cocoa sector by successfully completing its Series A round raising a total of $4.7 million in equity – and a $3.5 million investment from climate adaptation and...
MIA, short for Made in Africa, is branching out from its base in Madagascar to work with cocoa farmers in West Africa. Co-founder Brett Beach tells ConfectioneryNews the reasons behind the move – and also provides an update on the situation on the island...
In a row over the impending European Commission’s deforestation law, African smallholder cocoa farmers say European organisations do not speak on their behalf and claim their proposal risks damaging their livelihoods.
The European Union has held its second Cocoa Roundtable Dialogue with Ghanaian stakeholders to discuss the environmental sustainability of cocoa production, while Cote d’Ivoire says quick compliance with broad legislation may pose challenges.
The Accessible Soils And Sustainable Environments (ASASE) will be working towards tackling deforestation and working to rehabilitate ageing cocoa farms and restore the country’s natural forests.
I am a cocoa farmer: Daniel Aboagye, Western Region, Ghana
In the third of her occasional 'I am a cocoa farmer series', cocoa scholar Kristy Leissle talks to Daniel Aboagye, who is not only a farmer but a recorder, or purchasing clerk, for the Kuapa Kokoo licensed cocoa buying company (LBC), so he has...
The Ghana Cocoa Awards has announced a shortlist of 82 nominees for its ceremony, which will take place on Saturday 14 November at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra.
Neighbors set-up a new joint body to improve coordination in research, price setting and the fight against child labour in their respective cocoa industries, the Ivorian government has revealed.
Ghana is the world’s second-biggest cocoa producer, after its West African neighbour, Cote d’Ivoire. Its main growing season runs from October to September, and while output may increase - a glut in the global market has raised wider concerns about lower...
A coalition consisting of 350 environmental, human rights, and good governance NGOs has signed an historic letter outlining steps that the Ghanaian and Ivorian governments must take to encourage sustainable cocoa while supporting farmers and protecting...
Two new reports published by the WCF and the Better Than Cash Alliance highlight why now, more than ever, the country’s impoverished farmers should get all the help they need in going digital.
Lockdown restrictions at destination ports for cocoa exports caused by the coronavirus pandemic is having a financial impact on Ghana’s main commodity due to slowing exports and sales.
Mars Wrigley has announced a $10m investment to support women’s empowerment in cocoa-growing communities, working with CARE to build on the success and learnings of their Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) initiative.
In the third article in our series, we look at Barry Callebaut's work in Ghana, the second largest cocoa growing country in the world, as the group released results of its Forever Chocolate global sustainability progress report.
In the second of a series of articles on Barry Callebaut’s operations in Ghana we look at the company’s carbon reduction strategy in West Africa – as the group announced that it is contributing to the collective efforts of climate change to cap global...
Barry Callebaut’s presence in Ghana’s cocoa sector is all consuming, like its presence in the chocolate industry, and it knows that with size comes responsibility. Ahead of the official publication of its worldwide sustainability program’s Forever Chocolate...