Cargill’s Cocoa Initiative is Attracting “Significant Buy-in” From Farmers

08 Sep 2016 --- Nearly 10,000 cocoa farmers in Cameroon have received more than $1.58m in payments under Cargill's sustainability initiative, marking the largest ever certification payments in the country, according to the US company. Cargill has been training farmers in Cameroon, the fourth largest producer of cocoa globally, since 2011 in improving cocoa farming methods.

Such sustainability efforts from large corporations have attracted criticism from some quarters, particularly as reports suggest that child labor is still a problem in African countries.

Cargill said in the last year, it had trained nearly 21,000 cocoa farmers at over 600 farmer schools.

It said that a further 10,000 new farmers are expected to undergo this training in 2016/2017.

In total, Cargill said 9,500 farmers had received more than $1.58m in payments, which it says shows the "growing appetite" for farmers in Cameroon to become more professional and achieve certicaiton.

Payments are made to certified farmer cooperatives with 50 per cent going directly to individual members, and the remainder being invested in projects that boost productivity or farm development for the farmer organisation or projects that will benefit the wider community. 

Lionel Soulard, regional managing director Africa, Cargill Cocoa and Chocolate said: “It is exciting to see the development of the cocoa sector in Cameroon and the significant progress that has been made so far.”

“With the significant buy-in and demand from our customers for certified cocoa our long-term goal is to contribute to a thriving cocoa sector for farmers and their communities.”

“To make this happen, we have set up the right support, tools and training to help farmers and communities improve their livelihoods. Only when farmers take their own destiny in their own hands will we have a truly sustainable cocoa sector.”

Separately, Cargill is also looking to increase its credentials as a sustainable company by joining an alliance of ship owners and operators committed to the enforcement of sulphur regulations.

More than 90 percent of the world's traded goods travel by sea, meaning it has a considerable envinomental impact particularly as ship engines are powered by heavy fuel oil, which is the most polluting form of fuel.

To combat this environmental concern, from 2015 ships transiting Emission Control Areas (ECAs)- including the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and most of the US coastline- have to burn fuel oil with a sulphur content of no more than 0.1 percent, according to new rules.

The Trident Alliance has been formed to ensure the rule is being adhered to amid "patchy" encforcement to date.

Cargill, which charters and operates a global fleet of 500 dry-bulk vessels and approximately 60 tankers, has joined the Trident Alliance.

“At Cargill, efficient operations has always been part of our business and we are committed to creating a more sustainable shipping industry. As part of the Trident Alliance, we are pleased to charter vessels that comply with maritime sulphur regulations to reduce our environmental impact and increase efficiency,” said Jan Dieleman, president of Cargill’s Ocean Transportation.