{"id":5274,"date":"2019-11-29T13:01:39","date_gmt":"2019-11-29T13:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/samilia.org\/?post_type=product&p=5274"},"modified":"2025-12-05T11:28:43","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T11:28:43","slug":"the-bitter-taste-of-chocolate","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/samilia.org\/en\/produit\/the-bitter-taste-of-chocolate\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bitter Taste of Chocolate"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Cocoa Supply Chain<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
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Do you know under what conditions the cocoa beans in your chocolate were harvested?<\/em><\/p>\n

Cocoa: The Brown Gold<\/p>\n

West Africa produces a large portion of the world\u2019s cocoa. Ghana and Ivory Coast are the two main cocoa-exporting countries, together representing 60% of global cocoa production. Belgium produces around 600,000 tons of chocolate per year (equivalent to 300,000 tons of cocoa beans). Nearly 75% of the chocolate consumed in Belgium comes from these two countries. Belgium is therefore one of the largest importers of cocoa beans and the second-largest exporter of chocolate in the world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Cocoa Industry: Journey of a Bean in Ivory Coast<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cocoa is indispensable in Ivory Coast. To supply 40% of the global market, this sector mobilizes nearly one million producers, providing income for five million people\u2014roughly one-fifth of the country\u2019s population. Cocoa is the country\u2019s leading source of foreign currency and holds a central place in Ivorian society.<\/p>\n

And yet! Despite its enormous influence, the cocoa sector does not fully play its role as a driver of economic development. Some even speak of the \u201cbrown gold curse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three facts prove this:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. The majority of producers live on less than \u20ac0.67 per day.<\/li>\n
  2. Expanding cultivated areas causes massive deforestation (which has decreased from 12 million hectares in 1960 to less than 3 million today).<\/li>\n
  3. Ivory Coast has not yet managed to increase its share of profits (which stagnate between 5% and 7%) along the global cocoa-chocolate supply chain.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Most plantations are small (between 2 and 5 hectares) and produce between 350 and 650 kg per hectare. To give a sense of scale, a plantation would need 15 hectares of cocoa to reach a living income given current prices, yields, and production costs\u2026 far from sufficient.<\/p>\n

    The Problem of Intermediaries in the Cocoa Chain<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Most farmers lack modern agricultural machinery, and their plantations are poorly maintained, with aging trees yielding fewer fruits. Many producers live in remote regions with poor roads, making access and transport of beans difficult, and they critically lack transportation means. With no alternatives, they sell to collectors who buy at prices below the already low market rates. To date, there is no control system or licensing for these collectors.<\/p>\n

    These collectors then sell the beans to cooperatives, which cannot produce enough to meet global cocoa demand. The Ivorian government estimates that 40% of farmers are organized into cooperatives. This means that 60% of cocoa beans sold come from unidentified areas. Cooperatives in turn sell beans to wholesalers (such as Barry Callebaut, Cargill, Puratos\u2026) who ship them worldwide. The beans are then processed into cocoa butter or powder in factories. Finally, chocolatiers and chocolate companies turn them into bars, spreads, bakery products, candy bars, or pralines using their own recipes, ready to be sold worldwide.<\/p>\n

    Additionally, cocoa price speculation on stock markets increases the instability of farmers\u2019 incomes. In 2017, cocoa prices fell, and farmers became even poorer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Question:<\/strong> Did you pay less for your chocolate as a result?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    NGOs work to improve the living conditions of cocoa farmers, especially to ensure a living income for West African producers; among them are FairTrade, Oxfam, and Trias.<\/p>\n

    Note:<\/strong> A living income<\/em> is an income that allows a family to meet its basic needs, such as a nutritious diet, decent housing with proper sanitation, school fees for children, healthcare, transportation, and some savings.<\/p>\n

    Yet today, few farmers receive this living income. Beyond extreme poverty, the lack of transparency and traceability of beans remains a major problem in the cocoa sector, which is essential to identify risks of exploitation.<\/p>\n

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    \u00a0Your support is valuable!<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Follow our campaign!<\/h3>\n

     <\/p>\n

    #JeConsommeEthique<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Supported by the Continuing Education Service and the General Administration of Culture.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Child Labor in Ivory Coast<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    Although major industry players committed in 2001 to eradicate child labor in chocolate production and signed the Harkin-Engel Protocol (an initiative of two U.S. Congress members), an estimated 2.1 million children<\/strong> now work in cocoa plantations in Ivory Coast and Ghana. Child labor figures rise with the expansion of cocoa farms.<\/p>\n

    Focus: Ivory Coast<\/p>\n

    Approximately 900,000 children aged 10\u201317 work on Ivorian cocoa farms (Walk Free Foundation, 2018). 86% of these children perform hazardous work on family farms. They attend school little or not at all and carry out tasks that harm their physical or mental health. They spray pesticides without protection, carry overly heavy bags of beans, and handle dangerous tools (machetes). UNICEF adds that these abusive practices are sharply increasing, particularly regarding pesticide use.<\/p>\n

    Root Causes of Child Labor and Exploitation<\/p>\n

    The main cause of child labor is poverty<\/strong>. Parents cannot afford school fees and need their children to help on the farms.<\/p>\n

    Other root causes include:<\/p>\n