Archer Daniels Midland Company to Fund Construction of Bridges and Wells in 24 Côte d’Ivoire Cocoa Villages

These bridges will also improve the cocoa bean collection and transportation processes, helping to broaden the marketing opportunities for cocoa farmers.

Oct 15 2010 --- Archer Daniels Midland Company announced that it will donate more than US$576,000 to OIC International to fund bridge and well construction projects in 24 villages throughout Côte d’Ivoire.

Funding will be given to OIC International to construct 16 clean water wells, eight small bridges with the intention of completion by 2011.

David Loué, sustainable development manager for ADM Cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire, says: “Working with OIC International to fund these crucial infrastructure projects is another example of ADM’s commitment to improving the lives of cocoa farmers and their communities. Construction of the clean water wells and bridges will lead to better health and more reliable infrastructure, resulting in improved farm incomes for 120,000 people in these communities, including 18,000 cocoa farmers who provide ADM Cocoa with approximately 18,000 metric tonnes of cocoa beans per year.”

The 16 wells will be installed in rural communities throughout Côte d’Ivoire to make clean water more readily available and to help reduce the incidence of waterborne infectious diseases. The wells will also lessen the burden on women who typically must travel long distances to obtain water for their families. Eight wells will be constructed in 2010 with the remaining eight completed in 2011.

Eight bridges will be constructed near rural cocoa communities to facilitate travel between villages. Six bridges will be constructed in 2010 with the remaining two completed in 2011. These bridges will also improve the cocoa bean collection and transportation processes, helping to broaden the marketing opportunities for cocoa farmers.

“Over the long term, the bridges and wells constructed through this programme will also help to increase school enrolment rates for children in these areas,” said Loué. “Bridges will make it safer and easier for young children to travel to school, and access to clean water will improve the overall health of children in the area. The potential for increased farm incomes will also allow more families to afford to send their children to school.”

ADM grinds approximately 16 percent of the world’s cocoa crop. In Côte d’Ivoire, the company operates the UNICAO cocoa processing facility in Abidjan, two cocoa conditioning and storage facilities in Abidjan and one cocoa conditioning and storage facility San Pedro where beans are cleaned, checked for quality and prepared for export to ADM’s cocoa processing facilities around the world.