COPAL COCOA Info - Alliance of Cocoa Producing …. 544.doc · Web viewCOPAL COCOA Info A Weekly Newsletter of the Alliance of Cocoa Producing Countries Health and Nutrition Cocoa,

INSIDE THIS ISSE: ICCO DAILY COCOA PRICES LONDON (LIFFE) FUTURES

MARKET UPDATE NEW YORK (ICE) FUTURES

MARKET UPDATE FROM THE NEWS MEDIA

COPAL COCOACOPAL COCOA InfoInfo A Weekly Newsletter of the Alliance of Cocoa Producing Countries

Health and Nutrition Cocoa, high nutrient content beneficial to

consumers

Production and Quality Cooperative enterprises, panacea for sustainable

cocoa production - Solidaridad West Africa

The Market Ivory Coast cocoa farmers say beans are too small

to be sold Sugar tumbles, cocoa jumps Cocoa Gains as supply may be limited before

expiry; Coffee Rises

Processing and Manufacturing

Business & Economy Aid helps Bolivians to capitalise on cocoa crop US Candy Maker Hershey Co. Signs Abidjan

Cocoa Declaration

Labour Issues

Environmental Issue Ivory Coast rains brighten cocoa mid-crop

Research & Development

Promotion & Consumption Increasing certified organic cocoa production

Others

Do your health a favour, drink Cocoa everyday

‘It’s nature’s miracle food’UP-COMING EVENTSUP-COMING EVENTS IN THISIN THIS

Issue No. 544 13th – 17th May 2013

In the News (from Newspapers worldwide)

ICCO Daily Cocoa PricesICCO Daily Price

(SDR/tonne)ICCO Daily Price

($US/tonne)London futures

(£/tonne)New York futures

($US/tonne)

13th May 1573.28 2358.23 1553.33 2344.67

14th May 1588.51 2377.84 1571.67 2361

15th May 1588.07 2366.77 1570.67 2348.33

16th May 1558.36 2323.33 1534 2302.33

17th May 1562.36 2330.01 1553.33 2305.67

Average 1574.00 2351.00 1557.00 2332.00

COCOA PRODUCERS’ ALLIANCE, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE, P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234(0)1-263-5574 FAX: +234(0)1-263-5684

Email: [email protected] Website: www.copal-cpa.org2

mailto:[email protected]

International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE)London Futures Market – Summary of Trading Activities

(£ per tone)

Monday 13th May 2013 Month Opening Trans Settle Change High Low Volume

May 2013 1533 1580 39 1585 1527S 4,463Jul 2013 1523 1547 20 1549 1519 7,028

Sep 2013 1531 1554 20 1555S 1527 2,186Dec 2013 1537 1559 19 1560S 1533S 3,420Mar 2014 1535 1554 16 1556S 1530S 2,911May 2014 1534 1558 16 1558S 1534S 372Jul 2014 1559 1562 15 1559S 1559S 1

Sep 2014 1555 1566 15 1555S 1555S 1Dec 2014 1566 15 0Mar 2015 1567 15 0

Average/Totals 1561 20,382

Tuesday 14th May 2013 Month Opening Trans Settle Change High Low Volume

May 2013 1586 1597 17 1600S 1575 4,092Jul 2013 1553 1568 21 1569 1541S 11,222

Sep 2013 1557 1571 17 1573 1547 5,063Dec 2013 1566 1576 17 1578 1551S 3,824Mar 2014 1560 1571 17 1574S 1545S 5,305May 2014 1565 1574 16 1577S 1550S 563Jul 2014 1567 1580 18 1579S 1563S 205

Sep 2014 1569 1584 18 1583S 1567S 47Dec 2014 1577 1587 21 1587S 1575S 52Mar 2015 1588 21 0


Wednesday 15th May 2013 Month Opening Trans Settle Change High Low Volume

May 2013 1577 1569 -28 1601 1569 1,197Jul 2013 1570 1566 -2 1574 1558 8,444

Sep 2013 1573 1572 1 1580S 1561S 5,594Dec 2013 1578 1574 -2 1581S 1565S 2,425Mar 2014 1572 1568 -3 1575S 1558 2,161May 2014 1574 1570 -4 1576S 1560S 374Jul 2014 1580 1576 -4 1582S 1566S 153

Sep 2014 1583 1582 -2 1586S 1574 58Dec 2014 1588 1 0Mar 2015 1588 0 0


ALLIANCE OF COCOA PRODUCING COUNTRIES, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX, TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE, P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234-70-9814-1735; +234-70-

9814-1736; FAX: +234-1-290-4262 Email: [email protected] Website: www.copal-cpa.org

3

http://www.nybot.com/reports/dmrs/etsDMRs/dmrFutures.asp?dmrMonth=04&dmrDay=11&dmrYear=2007&commodityID=1&commodityType=future

http://www.copal-cpa.org/







Thursday 16th May 2013 Month Opening Trans Settle Change High Low Volume

Jul 2013 1557 1529 -37 1559 1527 8,290Sep 2013 1564 1535 -37 1564 1534S 5,400Dec 2013 1562 1538 -36 1564S 1537S 5,133Mar 2014 1558 1529 -39 1558S 1528S 4,361May 2014 1555 1529 -41 1557S 1528S 1,849Jul 2014 1551 1535 -41 1556S 1534S 252

Sep 2014 1560 1540 -42 1565S 1541S 98Dec 2014 1544 1544 -44 1544 1543S 2Mar 2015 1541 -47 0May 2015 1541 0


Friday 17th May 2013 Month Opening Trans Settle Change High Low Volume

Jul 2013 1524 1549 20 1555 1521 5,652Sep 2013 1532 1555 20 1561S 1528S 2,817Dec 2013 1535 1556 18 1561S 1530 1,949Mar 2014 1530 1548 19 1553S 1522S 2,825May 2014 1529 1549 20 1554 1525S 1,348Jul 2014 1533 1554 19 1556S 1533S 329

Sep 2014 1546 1559 19 1562S 1546S 107Dec 2014 1562 18 0Mar 2015 1560 19 0May 2015 1560 19 0


Average for the week 1555 2732 2732



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New York Board of Trade(New York Futures Market – Summary of Trading Activities)

(US$ per tone)

Monday 13th May 2013 Month Opening Trans Settle Change High Low Volume

May 2013 2265 2315 17 2334 2265 21Jul 2013 2295 2326 26 2342 2286 14,693

Sep 2013 2308 2334 26 2349 2296 4,886Dec 2013 2308 2343 25 2352 2308 2,737Mar 2014 2315 2349 23 2359 2315 1,554May 2014 2332 2353 23 2353 2331 143Jul 2014 2333 2357 22 2344 2333 63

Sep 2014 0 2361 22 0 0 1Dec 2014 0 2369 22 0 0 0Mar 2015 2350 2376 22 2350 2350 5


Tuesday 14th May 2013 Month Opening Trans Settle Change High Low Volume

May 2013 2323 2342 27 2324 2323 10Jul 2013 2334 2353 27 2360 2318 18,842


Sep 2014 2380 2379 18 2384 2373 16Dec 2014 2387 2387 18 2387 2387 5Mar 2015 2394 2395 19 2394 2394 18


Wednesday 15th May 2013 Month Opening Trans Settle Change High Low Volume

May 2013 0 2333 -9 0 0 0Jul 2013 2353 2344 -9 2364 2335 12,141

Sep 2013 2357 2350 -8 2369 2340 3,441Dec 2013 2362 2356 -7 2372 2345 1,739Mar 2014 2376 2360 -8 2376 2347 933May 2014 2373 2365 -7 2380 2353 83Jul 2014 2376 2371 -5 2385 2356 89

Sep 2014 2379 2375 -4 2384 2362 51Dec 2014 2379 2383 -4 2393 2379 3Mar 2015 0 2391 -4 0 0 0




5









Thursday 16th May 2013 Month Opening Trans Settle Change High Low Volume

May 2013 0 0 0 0 0 0Jul 2013 2347 2294 -50 2352 2292 14,860

Sep 2013 2352 2301 -49 2353 2299 4,384Dec 2013 2360 2307 -49 2360 2305 1,627Mar 2014 2336 2313 -47 2340 2310 1,670May 2014 2330 2316 -49 2337 2314 201Jul 2014 2347 2322 -49 2347 2341 31

Sep 2014 2344 2327 -48 2351 2343 49Dec 2014 2352 2335 -48 2352 2352 2Mar 2015 0 2342 -49 0 0 0


Friday 17th May 2013 Month Opening Trans Settle Change High Low Volume

May 2013 0 0 0 0 0 0Jul 2013 2294 2300 6 2317 2276 11,199


Sep 2014 2340 2330 3 2341 2331 61Dec 2014 2345 2338 3 2345 2340 12Mar 2015 0 2345 3 0 0 13


Average for the week 2090 2962 2962



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News

Cocoa, high nutrient content beneficial to consumersThe Guardian NigeriaBy Kehinde Olatunji - Agro Care, 12 May 2013 TO reap the real nutritional value of most cocoa beverages, it is better to take them without milk. The correct drinking of unsweetened cocoa beverages can help in the prevention of Malaria, high blood pressure, diabetes, fatigue and stress.

Dr. Olayiwola Olubamiwa, a cocoa expert at Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Ibadan who dropped the hint yesterday at a media forum for the launching of a Jingle for a new cocoa beverage, “Oluji Pure Cocoa Powder” also said that most cocoa beverages in the market contain less than 10 per cent of the cocoa powder that are a rich source of flavanols required by the body for good health.

According to Dr. Olubamiwa and other experts at the venue of the launching, the regular intake of cocoa beverage does a lot of good to the since its richness in antioxidants helps to fight disease factors in the body.

But, he warned that the intake of cocoa in the beverage form cannot ensure that these health benefits of cocoa are enjoyed.

His words: “Cocoa powder has a higher amount of the antioxidants even in comparison with dark chocolate, and so makes it the best cocoa form that people should take as part of their diet.”

He added that: “The best cocoa powder to take is that made by milling dried cocoa bean from which the cocoa butter has been extracted. It is necessary to caution against intake of cocoa with milk as this lowers the potency of cocoa. The culprit in milk is a group of proteins called caseins that interact with cocoa decreasing the concentration of the polyphenols. In addition, sugar or honey should be used in mild quantities for best effects. Some take it that a cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole day without food.”

He added that a cup of cocoa also keeps the doctor away. “A cup of cocoa is rich in antioxidants that help combat free radicals, which have been linked to diseases like cancer, heart disease and stroke” he said, thus, suggesting that cocoa is a better healthy drink.

Given that most people are suffering from health challenges Dr. Olubamiwa said if people consciously increase their cocoa intake, it will help to also lower their blood pressure.

The ability of the antioxidant flavanols in cocoa to promote nitric oxide production in the body to make the body produce more of the hormone insulin, he said, has made cocoa consumption helpful in preventing diabetes. He declared that the insulin produced after ingestion of cocoa powder was more active and, hence, better at preventing high blood glucose levels that precede or indicate diabetes.

Quite unlike what many may realise, several ingredients in the cocoa powder beverage such as pentameric procyanidin and theobromine also arrest breast cancer and persistent coughs respectively. Theobromine, he said, has been found to be a more effective cough medicine than traditional remedies and without side effects. In addition, theobromine, a stimulant in cocoa ensures that body muscles are stimulated and, thus, making it a nature’s version of Viagra (sex enhancing drug).



7

NEWS

Health and Nutrition



Another study also hints that eating chocolate which is mainly from cocoa may boost brain function. In the study, the volunteers that consumed chocolate recipes got stimulating effect, which led to increased mental performance.Magnesium which has healing effect on a range of diseases as well as its ability to rejuvenate the ageing body and to alleviate bronchial asthma, pre or post-menstrual syndrome, anxiety, insomnia, migraine and hardening of the blood vessels with age among others Dr. Olubamiwa, said cocoa is the highest source of magnesium.

He also pointed out that the fact that Nigeria is a malaria endemic region therefore mothers should serve their children cocoa drink to protect them from malaria. According to him, there is anecdotal report that daily intake of pure cocoa beverage reduces the frequency of malaria by a Ghanaian expert, who stated that flavanols in cocoa retard life cycle of malaria parasite as well as boost body immunity to ward off malaria symptoms.

Mr. Akin Olusuyi, Managing Director/CEO, cocoa products (Ile-Oluji) limited earlier in his speech called on the governments of cocoa producing states and the federal government to take active interests in cocoa for both economic and citizen welfare reasons.

“The general wellbeing of Nigerians can take a turn for the better if they are properly educated and mobilised to cultivate the cocoa eating habit. This will impact positively not only on the general health of the citizens but also that of the nation. After all a nation is as healthy as her citizens. On the economic side, this will encourage value addition to our cocoa and expand the local processing capacity with its attendant employment generation and increase in revenue and GDP.” He said.

Agriculture received a fresh boost at the weekend in Abia state when Gov. Theodore Orji, at the formal flagging off of this year’s farming season. at Ibeku High School, Umuahia, slashed the price of a bag of fertiliser for farmers from N6500 to N3500.

Also at the state Agricultural Stakeholders Summit held in the state, it was announced that in addition, 450,000 cocoa seedlings and 100,000 oil palm seedlings are to be distributed free-of-charge to the farmers.

At the said summit, whose theme was “ Agricultural Transformation Agenda- A Road Map To Increased Food Production,” the governor through the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Mkpa Agu Mkpa reiterated his commitment to transforming the agricultural sector with a view to enhancing the state economy, provide employment and making food available to all.

He said was the state was collaborating with the federal government for the supply of 240 ton per-day High Quality Cassava Flour processing plant, cultivation of 6,000 hectares of cassava in Abriba and inaugurating of the state agricultural implementation committee.

Also during the week, the governor performed the formal handing over of the Abia Palm Estate at Ukwa to a foreign company and launched the state Liberation farms project located state wide, which the state Agriculture Commissioner, Ike Onyenweaku said will provide 8,000 jobs.

Cooperative enterprises, panacea for sustainable cocoa production - Solidaridad West AfricaNigerian TribuneBy Femi Ibirogba14 May 2013 Solidaridad West Africa and Socodevi, a Canadian cooperative development organisation, have said cooperative enterprises are sure means of achieving sustainable cocoa production and development in order to meet international standards.

Solidaridad and Socodevi have been at the forefront of implementing farmer leadership skills training for cooperatives under an established AKFOP Project with Solidaridad-Nigeria.



8

Production & Quality



The two organistions said this during a second batch of training of trainers (TOT) at Emure Town Hall, Emure-Ekiti, recently.

The training covered various technical and managerial skills to improve farmers’ ability to reliably deliver good quality cocoa beans. Lead farmers were trained in modern business practices, including contract management and negotiation, collective trading, logistics, operations management, financial management, sales and marketing and sales.

Country Coordinator of Socodevi, Mr Neji Abang, reminded the participants that cooperatives could ensure democratic participation and profit-sharing with farmers, and as such, provide an ideal enterprise for financial institutions to support them due to their potential for community-based development.

Solidaridad’s Programme Manager, Alex Akinbo, stated that for any enterprise to succeed, there was need for clear leadership, strategic vision and management.

“The quality requirements are high, but the farmers have had the opportunity to learn and improve our cocoa production, post-harvest management, marketing and other administrative aspects, which, for sustainability, must be achieved in the long run by the farmers with minimal external support.

“Agriculture remains a critical sector for developing the country’s economy. Agriculture cooperative enterprises in particular are critical for economic opportunities and social cohesion in rural communities. What is needed is the right type of support that will create an enabling environment for such institutions to flourish and play an increasingly important role in food security, rural development, economic growth and poverty eradication in line with the corporate mission of Solidaridad West Africa,” Akinbo said.

Ivory Coast cocoa farmers say beans are too small to be soldBloombergBy Olivier Monnier & Baudelaire Mieu 2013-05-10Farmers in Ivory Coast, the world’s biggest cocoa producer, say they can’t sell supplies from the country’s mid-crop harvest because dry weather left beans too small to meet minimum requirements.

Ivory Coast will allow exports when there are a maximum of 120 beans per 100 grams (0.2 pounds) in supplies from the shorter of the country’s two seasons, which runs from April to the end of September, the Ministry of Finance said April 2.

“I haven’t been able to sell any of my beans since early April,” Leon Adou Edoukou, head of a 246-farmer cooperative in the eastern town of Abengourou, said by phone May 8. “We have on average between 140-150 beans per 100 grams.” More than 4.5 metric tons of beans are stored in the cooperatives’ warehouses, he said.

The farmers’ inability to sell their beans may hit cocoa exports from Ivory Coast, which will account for about 37 percent of global cocoa output in 2012-13, according to an estimate by the London-based International Cocoa Organization. Shipments dropped to 1.432 million tons in 2011-12 from 1.44 million tons the previous season. Cocoa futures have gained 7.3 percent on NYSE Liffe in London this year, and 4.2 percent on ICE Futures U.S. in New York.

Cocoa beans are usually smaller during the mid-crop and the size requirement, a measure designed to maintain quality, is lower than in the main October-March harvest, for which the Cocoa-Coffee Council, the industry regulator, stipulated a maximum of 100 beans per 100 grams for exports.Dry Weather

Beans are smaller than usual because dry weather hit cocoa-growing regions in January and February, Edoukou said. Ivory Coast will reap a cocoa crop of 1.35 million tons in 2012-13, Lome, Togo-based Ecobank



9

The Market



Transnational Inc. said in a report e-mailed on March 21, which would be 9.2 percent less than the previous year, according to the bank.

Farmers also may be finding it hard to sell mid-crop beans after Ivory Coast scrapped tax breaks for local grinders and implemented a new tax system under which processors have to pay levies on the weight of beans they use rather than the products they ship. The tax measures made it costlier to process beans in Ivory Coast than in Europe, Tristan Borne, cocoa and chocolate managing director at Perpignan, France-based chocolate maker and processor Cemoi, said in November.

Beans from the mid-crop are more likely to stay within the country to be processed locally due to their lower quality, said Laurent Pipitone, the head of the economics and statistics unit at the ICCO, who estimated a mid-crop of 440,000 tons in 2012-13 from 438,000 tons last year.Global Demand

Globally, demand for cocoa will exceed supply by 45,000 tons in 2012-13, the ICCO forecast in February. Global production will outpace consumption by 11,000 tons in the season ending Sept. 30, Macquarie Group Ltd. estimated on May 3, reversing a previous forecast for a shortage on recent rainfall and good sunshine in Ivory Coast, the bank said.

Jonas Kouadio, a farmer based in Duekoue in western Ivory Coast, said he was also struggling to sell his produce.

“I have been trying to sell 10 tons this week but I couldn’t as I have 130-140 beans per 100 grams,” Kouadio said by phone yesterday.

Theodore Guetat, head of a cooperative of 1,100 farmers in Abengourou, said he was able to sell some beans because he mixed them with part of remaining output from the main harvest. His cooperative has about 2,000 tons of stockpiled beans waiting to be sold, he said by phone on May 8.

“If they can’t sell their output, farmers will be tempted to send their beans illegally” to buyers in neighboring Ghana, Guetat said, adding that the output prospects for his cooperative for the mid-crop “don’t look very good.”Minimum Price

Cocoa producers may also sell their beans below the minimum price of 700 CFA francs ($1.40) per kilogram (2.2 pounds) set by the government at the beginning of the mid-crop, farmers said.

Ivory Coast introduced changes in its cocoa industry in 2011, including a plan to sell most of the beans before the harvest and a move to guarantee farmers a minimum fixed rate for their beans.

“I have no choice but selling off my output,” farmer Seydou Doumbia, based in Daloa, in the west of the country, said by phone yesterday. Doumbia said he sold 3 tons of beans this week at 675 francs a kilogram.

Sugar tumbles, cocoa jumpsBusiness Recorder (blog)May 12, 2013Raw sugar futures extended losses to their lowest in a year on Wednesday, hit by harvest pressure and Indian exports, while cocoa inched up to five-week highs, consolidating after two volatile sessions that whipsawed prices in both directions. Arabica coffee futures finished weak in choppy trade, drawing pressure from a lower commodity complex.

Raw sugar futures traded at a nearly one-year low due to speculative fund sales and news that India is lifting quantitative caps on sugar exports, analysts said. "The market does not need Indian export supplies, because the global market is in surplus," said James Kirkup, head of sugar brokerage at ABN Amro Markets in London. ICE July raw sugar dipped 0.40 cent, or 1.9 percent, to settle at 20.55 cents per lb, the lowest settlement for the second position since May 6, 2011.



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Kirkup said India could potentially export an additional 1 million tonnes above the 3 million effectively approved so far, but added that the ICE raw sugar market could fall to a level below which it would be unprofitable for Indian mills to export. The sweetener is also under pressure from sugar harvesting in Brazil's premier centre-south region and less-than-sterling cash demand. "There is nothing in sugar to get bulled up (about). The supplies are there," said Nick Gentile, chief of trading for commodity fund Atlantic Capital Advisors in New Jersey.

London August white sugar closed down $9.90, or 1.7 percent, at $560.90 per tonne. China was chasing Thai white sugar and Vietnam may return to the physical market to stock up, while a plunge in New York futures pushed up raw premiums to their strongest since last September, dealers said.

Cocoa futures took a breather after the New York market had tumbled 7.1 percent intraday on Monday, on chart-based selling on the last day of April, then soared 6.2 percent to a five-week high due to short-covering on Tuesday. ICE July cocoa closed up $23, or 1 percent, at $2,342 per tonne, the strongest settlement since March 27. London July cocoa ended up 22 pounds, or 1.4 percent, at 1,557 pounds per tonne, the highest settlement since March 12.

In December 2011, the second position hit the lowest level in nearly three years at $1,983 per tonne and has since moved between roughly $2,000 and $2,500. July arabicas on ICE closed down 1.40 cents, or 0.8 percent, to settle at $1.8275 per lb. London July robusta coffee inched up $2 to settle at $1,982 per tonne.

Ivory Coast cocoa arrivals edging aheadAgraNet (subscription)May 13 2013COCOA arrivals at ports in top grower Ivory Coast reached around 1,125,000 tonnes by May 12 since the start of the season in October, exporters estimated on Monday, up from 1,118,000 tonnes in the same period of the previous season.

Exporters estimated around 23,000 tonnes of beans were delivered to the West African state's two ports of Abidjan and San Pedro between May 6 and 12, up from 15,000 tonnes in the same week last year.

Cocoa Gains as supply may be limited before expiry; Coffee RisesBloombergBy Isis Almeida – [email protected] 14, 2013 Cocoa climbed for a second day in London on speculation supplies will be limited before the delivery of the May futures contract this week. Coffee rose.

Cocoa for May delivery was 31 pounds ($47) a metric ton more expensive than the July contract, reversing a discount of 8 pounds a ton a week earlier, exchange data on Bloomberg showed. Backwardation, when prices for near-dated contracts are higher than later ones, may signal scant supply. Trading of May futures ends May 15 and the delivery will take place the next day. There is speculation about limited supplies in European warehouses, Jerome Jourquin, head of agricultural commodity derivatives at brokerage Aurel BGC in Paris, said by e-mail yesterday.

Cocoa price gains are “more closely related to the May expiration in London than much else,” Sterling Smith, a futures specialist at Citigroup Inc. in Chicago, said in a report e-mailed yesterday. More gains will need to be seen today to confirm a bullish technical trend, he said.

Cocoa for delivery in July rose 0.3 percent to 1,551 pounds a ton by 10:34 a.m. on NYSE Liffe in London and the May contract climbed 0.8 percent to 1,592 pounds. Cocoa for July delivery advanced 0.5 percent to $2,337 a ton in New York.

Cocoa delivered against the March contract totalled 72,350 tons, the most since the December 2010 futures expired. Buyers on NYSE Liffe can take delivery of no more than 75,000 tons, according to limits that came



11



into force before the December futures expired last year. Most of the beans delivered were from top producer Ivory Coast, followed by Cameroon and Nigeria.

White, or refined, sugar for delivery in August was unchanged at $485.10 a ton on NYSE Liffe. Raw sugar for delivery in July was little changed at 17.24 cents a pound on ICE.Sugar output in Brazil’s center south, the main growing region of the world’s biggest producer, more than tripled in the second half of April to 1.45 million tons, industry group Unica said in a statement e-mailed yesterday. “The expected acceleration of the Brazilian sugarcane harvest is likely to put some downward pressure on the price structure in the weeks ahead,” F.O. Licht GmbH said in a report dated yesterday.

Robusta coffee futures for July delivery gained 0.5 percent to $2,062 a ton in London. Arabica coffee futures for July delivery were 0.6 percent higher at $1.4665 a pound in New York.

Aid helps Bolivians to capitalise on cocoa cropChurch TimesBy Madeleine DaviesMay 10, 2013 BOLIVIANS will soon be able to sample home-grown chocolate bars, produced by a factory that operates in the Amazonian rainforest.

The factory, which has just opened, is in San Ignacio de Moxos, in Beni, the second poorest region in the country, in the Amazon rainforest in eastern Bolivia. It is run by indigenous people seeking to earn a living from the wild cocoa plants that grow in the forest. It is supported by the Centre for Research and Training of Peasant Farmers, a partner of ...

US Candy Maker Hershey Co. Signs Abidjan Cocoa DeclarationFox BusinessBy Neena RaiMay 10, 2013U.S.-based candy maker Hershey Co. has signed the Abidjan Cocoa Declaration, taking the total number of cocoa stakeholder signatories to 34, the International Cocoa Orgranization said in a statement Friday.

The first-ever world cocoa conference in Abidjan last year ended with the signing of a declaration to support policies for a sustainable cocoa economy and the consumption of cocoa, particularly improved quality grades.

The Abidjan Cocoa Declaration is signed by the governments of cocoa-producer nations, chocolatiers, trading companies and aid agencies.

Ivory Coast is the world's top supplier of cocoa beans, with one third of its population dependant on the sector for their livelihood.

The other signatories to the Abidjan Cocoa Declaration are: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Indonesia, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Togo, Papua New Guinea, Mars, Mondelez International, Nestle, Blommer Chocolate, CEMOI, Ferrero Trading, Armajaro Trading Ltd., ADM, Barry Callebaut, Cargill, Petra Foods, Amtrada/Continaf, Noble Group, Olam International, Touton, Transmar Group, Federation of Cocoa Commerce, CAOBISCO, World Cocoa Foundation, IDH (Dutch Sustainable Agriculture Initiative), the European Cocoa Association, the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, Talants (farmer group), the International Cocoa Initiative, and the Hamburg Cocoa & Commodity Office GmbH.



12

Business & Economy

Processing & Manufacturing



Ivory Coast rains brighten cocoa mid-cropBusiness Recorder (blog)May 12, 2013Rainfall last week across most of Ivory Coast's cocoa-growing regions has improved the outlook for the April-to-September cocoa mid-crop, with abundant volumes expected from June, farmers and analysts said on Monday. Buyers and exporters have complained of low quantities and poor quality beans in recent weeks due to a dry spell from November 2011 to March 2012. Marketing of the mid-crop in the world's top cocoa producer usually begins in early April but is running late.

"The mid-crop will be good beginning next month. We got rain and plenty of sun. The cocoa will start coming out in May and will be abundant from June," said Lazare Ake, who farms in the western region of Soubre, where 25 millimetres of rain fell last week compared with about 29 mm the previous week. Farmers added that small amounts of beans would begin leaving the bush next week following the harvesting of the first ripe pods of the mid-crop.

In the southern region of Aboisso, an analyst reported 9.4 millimetres of rains compared with 23.1 mm the week before. "With the rain that's fallen, we think that in the next 10 days or so, we will be able to start harvesting," said farmer Patrice Konan. In the western region of Daloa, which produces a quarter of Ivory Coast's national output, farmers reported two abundant rains mixed with sunny spells last week, which they said would boost the development of the crop.

Increasing certified organic cocoa productionGhanaWebBy Thompson, Kofi13 May 2013

Cocoa Sustained

One of the most effective ways of increasing certified organic cocoa production in Ghana, is to encourage fairtrade partnerships between Ghanaians, and foreign companies engaged in certified fairtrade organic cocoa production elsewhere in the world.

If such fairtrade joint-venture partnerships between Ghanaians and foreign investors, are automatically issued with permits to buy and export certified organic cocoa beans - produced by farmer groups they work with to convert to certified organic cocoa production - that will be the perfect incentive to attract more overseas fairtrade companies experienced in organic certified cocoa production elsewhere, to invest in joint-venture partnerships to produce certified cocoa for export with Ghanaians.



13

Labour Issues

Promotion & Consumption

Environmental Issues

Research & Development



Those joint-venture partnerships to produce certified fairtrade organic cocoa in Ghana, will grow that niche quickly - to make Ghana a global power in certified fairtrade organic cocoa production.

The present ministerial team at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, ought to take a keen interest in the effort to increase certified fairtrade organic cocoa production in Ghana.

For their information, it was the personal intervention by one of their predecessors in office, the late Hon. Baah-Wiredu, who after reading an article of mine, subsequently ensured that a permit to buy and export cocoa beans was issued by the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to a Ghanaian resident in Switzerland, Mr. Yayra Glover, which made it possible for him to team up with Pakka AG and Max Felchlin AG - both Swiss organic chocolate manufacturers - and guaranteed the success of the Yayra Glover Project in the Suhum, Craboar Coaltar District: in producing certified organic fairtrade cocoa for export to Switzerland.

The current ministerial team at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, ought to aim to replicate such fairtrade partnerships to produce certified cocoa for export, many times over, during their administration's tenure - a worthy legacy for them to aim to leave as an achievement for President Mahama's administration.

In the long-term, it makes perfect sense for Ghana to aim to become the world's leading producer of certified organic cocoa beans - to secure the future of cocoa production in Ghana.

The surest way to achieve that goal, is for the COCOBOD to encourage more fairtrade joint- venture partnerships of the Yayra Glover Project type.

That will definitely make Ghana the world's leading producer of high quality cocoa beans - by definition certified fairtrade organic cocoa beans - for which global demand will always outstrip supply and command a premium.

Luckily, the present chief executive of the COCOBOD, Mr. Tony Fofie, and his deputy, Dr. Yaw-Adu Ampomah, are both committed to and supportive of an increase in the production of certified organic cocoa beans in Ghana.

The future in the global market for cocoa beans, definitely lies with the nations that switch to producing certified organic cocoa beans. A time will come when the major buyers of cocoa beans will purchase only certified organic cocoa beans.

That is why Ghana must aim to become the source of certified organic cocoa beans for major buyers in Japan, Germany, Scandinavia, the UK, Europe, the United States of America, Canada, Singapore, China and elsewhere. And it is joint-venture partnerships to produce certified organic cocoa that will secure the future of Ghana's cocoa industry. A word to the wise...



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COPAL COCOA Info - Alliance of Cocoa Producing …. 544.doc · Web viewCOPAL COCOA Info A Weekly Newsletter of the Alliance of Cocoa Producing Countries Health and Nutrition Cocoa,