Of alle regions in the world, Europe is probably the largest fabricator of cocoa and the EU is definitely on top of the list when it comes to the consumption of chocolate. But what a tale this bar of chocolate could tell before it sweetens our day?

The finished product as we see it on the supermarket shelves is for the most part manufactured in either Europe or the USA. The necessary agricultural farmlands for cocoa are however cultivated in the Ivory Coast, Ghana and Cameroon for example. In the whole of west Africa, 1.2 million small scale farmer families and an overall of 11 million plantation workers live off the cocoa production in service of our markets. However, the fate of these people is not determined by the quality of their work:

The protagonists on the Cocoa-Worldmarket

Some few > European and North American food companies dominate the production of cocoa with a widespread network of plantations and trade facilities. These few corporations acquire almost 80% of the entire cocoa harvest to then execute the most speculative profit-making wheels and deals. Again and again these global players buy up and withhold a considerable amount of cocoa shares to drive the prices up the hill. These accumulated shares are then lucratively sold off at sky rocketing prices which then causes a sudden price plunge, coupled with general instability. Because of the consequentially meagre and unsteady profit margins on the other side of the coin, the small farmers and their families live under impoverished conditions, completely at the mercy of such fluctuations.

A major part of all cocoa in Europe comes from the Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire), caught up in a civil war at the time. With a total share of over 40% of the world produce, the Ivory Coast turns out the largest amount of cocoa in the world, of which 80% is grown by small family businesses that have no other means of existence, all together in possession of approximately 800.000 plants.

The EU investigator reports on the cocoa authorities of the Ivory Coast clearly disclose that the cocoa industry is an industry of warfare. November 2005 a UN committee came to the same conclusion, ascertaining that the cocoa authorities of the Ivory Coast illegally subjugate farmers to levies that continue to finance a fifth of the military budget in the civil war. With the escalation of the war such taxation becomes an ever increasing yoke for the cocoa farmers.

This illegal financial structure emerged out of the privatisation of the cocoa business sector toward the end of the 90’s, in which western conglomerates, among others, had an important role to play: state controlled cocoa reserves or price warrants for producers no longer exist. “Sifca”, the largest cocoa company of the Ivory Coast was bought up by the US Group ADM. According to a EU study, the market share of multinational concerns in Ivory Coast cocoa increased from 10% to 30% in the years from 1997 to 2003, whereas the native small businesses contactors went down to a dividend of 10% from the 43% it was before.

Yet, alongside financing wars, child labour also comes into play in the production of our cocoas. Ten thousands of girls and boys are sold in west Africa and forced to work under inhumane conditions.

Child labour in the cultivation of cocoa

The human rights organisation “Terre des Hommes” uncovered that so far about 20.000 children, 7-14 years of age, were found to have been displaced onto the big plantations. These children are abused, beaten and exploited by their proprietors.“What happens down there is definitely slavery” says Pierre Poupard, the leader of UNICEF, the UNO relief organisation in Mali,- “Those who try to flee from these atrocities, are in danger of being beaten to death by their owners”.

> Further Details: Video, Mp3 (2008)

What can I do?

Fairly traded cacao and chocolate warrants a humane standard of living for farmers and their families and undermines the exploiters of the above described situation! Fair traded cacao and chocolate you can find in your supermarket or > here!

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