Major Ivorian Cocoa Buyers Boycott Local Exporters Scheme
Major cocoa buyers are boycotting a scheme in Ivory Coast aimed at guaranteeing local firms a share of the lucrative export market, arguing that these players lack the expertise and financing to ensure reliable deliveries. A 2011 reform of the cocoa sector in Ivory Coast, the world's largest producer, specified that a significant share of the annual crop should be allocated to local companies for export, in a bid to develop the domestic industry. This season, the Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC) regulator awarded contracts to local exporters for the delivery of 150,000 tonnes of cocoa, from an estimated total crop of 1.7 million tonnes. The CCC uses a messaging system to pair up international firms seeking cocoa with local exporters who handle the shipment.
Drop in Cocoa Bean Size Worries Ivorian Exporters
Dry weather in top cocoa grower Ivory Coast has caused a sharp drop in bean size and will delay the start of the April-to-September mid-crop by nearly two months, exporters and merchants said on Friday. Bean size is determined by counting the number of beans per 100 grammes of cocoa, known as the bean count. Ivory Coast's marketing board, the Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC), has fixed a ceiling of 105 beans per 100 grammes for beans destined for export. Average bean counts have increased from 100 to 105 beans per 100 grammes to 120 to 130 beans per 100 grammes over the past several weeks. Bean size generally decreases during the mid-crop and the bulk of the harvest is typically purchased by local grinders who process them into cocoa products.
Ivory Coast Lifts Ecom Cocoa, Coffee Export Ban
Top cocoa grower Ivory Coast has reinstated the export licence of Swiss agricultural trader Ecom Agroindustrial Corp Ltd's local unit, rescinding a ban imposed in a dispute over farmer bonuses, a document from the marketing board showed. The Coffee and Cocoa Council, CCC, imposed the suspension, which also barred Ecom subsidiary ZAMACOM from participating in cocoa auctions, on Feb. Several farmer cooperatives had complained to the CCC that ZAMACOM owed them premium payments for certified cocoa produced during the 2012/13 season. Ecom denied it had failed to make the payments.
