PRESS RELEASE
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GEF is contributing $5 million and mobilizing an additional $15 million from cofinancing partners. This initiative will bring together cocoa producers, small chocolate commercializing businesses as well as the chocolate industry, and focus on improving the way cocoa is being cultivated and commercialized.
The project will harness the growing private sector commitment to sustainable practices and form a robust public-private partnership with two leading chocolate manufacturers, Mars, Incorporated and Kraft Foods, and several major cocoa trading and processing companies. This will have a positive effect on all actors within the value chain of cocoa, stabilize the cocoa price and increase the income for small producers.
The work will run for six years and focus on 10 countries that were chosen by the significance of its biodiversity, the interest of the industry in producing countries, and by ensuring a good geographical spread. Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and the Dominican Republic were selected in Latin America, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Madagascar and Nigeria in Africa and Papua New Guinea and Indonesia in Asia.
“This project will bring 10% of the world’s cocoa supply into more sustainable production systems. This means 350,000 tons of cocoa, farmed on 750,000 hectares with the participation of 250,000 producers in 10 countries, an effort that will measurably improve biodiversity conservation in tropical ecosystems,” said Monique Barbut, CEO and Chairperson of the GEF.
Through this initiative, farmers will have access to training and technical assistance to enable them to implement sustainable agricultural practices, with a focus on earning the Rainforest Alliance Certified label for their products, or at least advance the training process to achieve this certification within the next six years. Over the same period of time an average annual sale of 165 thousand metric tons of sustainably produced cocoa will be achieved. According to estimates by the Rainforest Alliance, Ecuador could contribute ten thousand tons, or 6% of the expected global goal.
"This project will strengthen the commitment and capacity of the Rainforest Alliance to work on cocoa and chocolate industry to achieve conservation of biodiversity and sustainable livelihoods in tropical areas," said Edward Millard, director for Sustainable Landscapes of the Rainforest Alliance.
Areas under sustainable management in these countries will grow and Rainforest Alliance (RA) will further promote the standard and its accompanying certification scheme, in alignment with market demand, to other origins of high biodiversity.
Christian Hofer, Senior Communications Officer
Global Environment Facility (GEF)
Washington DC, 20433 USA
Phone: (202) 458-0936 Fax: (202) 522-3240