Dr Anga reviews the effects of the recent Ivorian crisis on the cocoa market, and the huge potential growth in Chinese consumption, in his recent interview in The Public Ledger.

Click here to download a PDF of the interview in The Public Ledger, 29 April 2011.

The Executive Director a.i. presents his compliments and has the honour to refer to the decision taken by the International Cocoa Council during its 83rd regular session in March 2011 related to document ED(MEM) 923/Rev.1 concerning the implementation of the recommendations of the First and Second Roundtables on a Sustainable Cocoa Economy (RSCE1 and RSCE2).

Members and Observers who have not yet responded are kindly requested to consult as appropriate with the relevant agencies and institutions in their countries in providing information to the Secretariat on the activities and initiatives underway pursuant to the above-mentioned recommendations and to complete and return the questionnaires to the Secretariat at the earliest opportunity.  In this connection, it is noted that the European Union has undertaken to reply to the Secretariat on behalf of its Member States.  The Secretariat would also welcome any other feedback or comments that Members and Observers may wish to make (with or without a completed questionnaire) related to the two Roundtables.

The information provided within the questionnaires and replies will be presented in document ICC/83/6/Rev.1, for consideration by the Council at its 84th regular session in September 2011.

The questionnaires, the “Accra Agenda”, the “Declaration of Trinidad and Tobago” and document ICC/80/7 on the “Implementation of the Recommendations of the First and Second Roundtable Meetings for a Sustainable Cocoa Economy” were attached with ED(MEM) 923 and ED(MEM) 923/Rev.1.   To save paper and costs, these documents are not being re-circulated. They are available to download here.

The International Cocoa Organization today releases its first forecasts for the 2010/2011 cocoa year and revised estimates of world production, grindings and stocks of cocoa beans for the 2009/2010 cocoa year, as summarized below.  The data published in issue No. 1 – Volume XXXVII – Cocoa year 2010/2011 of the Quarterly Bulletin of Cocoa Statistics reflect the most recent information available to the Secretariat as at the middle of February 2011.

Summary of forecasts and revised estimates

Cocoa year (Oct-Sep) 2006/2007 2007/08 Year-on-year change
 Previous estimates a/  Revised estimates  Forecasts
(thousand tonnes)  (Per cent)
World production 3 613 3 647  3 938  + 291 + 8.0%
World grindings 3 659 3 677 3 780 + 103 + 2.8%
Surplus/deficit b/ – 82 – 66 119
End-of-season stocks 1 631 1 644 1 763  + 119 + 7.2%
Stocks/Grindings ratio  44.6%  44.7% 46.6%

Notes:
a/ Estimates published in Quarterly Bulletin of Cocoa Statistics, Vol. XXXVI – No. 4 – Cocoa year 2009/2010
b/ Surplus/deficit: net world crop (gross crop adjusted for loss in weight) minus grindings
Totals and differences may differ due to rounding.

This issue of the Bulletin contains the Secretariat’s first forecasts for the 2010/2011 cocoa year as well as data for the past four years of production and grindings of cocoa beans, detailed by country.  The main features of the global cocoa market are illustrated in colour charts.  In addition, the Bulletin includes comments on crop and demand prospects in the leading countries for the current season, and a review of price developments on international markets for cocoa beans during the October – December quarter of 2010.

Statistical information on trade in cocoa beans, cocoa products and chocolate, by country and by region, published in this edition, covers annual data from 2006/2007 to 2008/2009 and quarterly statistics for the period from October-December 2008 to April-June 2010.  Details of origin of imports and destination of exports for leading cocoa importing countries are also provided.  Historical statistics on cocoa trade and consumption, by country and by region, for the period from 2000/2001 to 2008/2009 are presented for reference.

Copies of the Quarterly Bulletin of Cocoa Statistics, including Microsoft Excel files and Adobe PDF format can be ordered from the ICCO Secretariat at the address below:

International Cocoa Organization
Commonwealth House
1-19 New Oxford Street
London WC1A 1NU
Tel:+44 (0)20 7400 5050
Fax:+44 (0)20 7421 5500
E-mail: statistics@icco.org or assoc.statistics@icco.org

The Regional Workshop for the ICCO SPS Cocoa Project in Africa took place 7 – 10 June 2011, in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

The Workshop was held at Hotel Mont Fébé in Yaoundé, and was hosted by the government of Cameroon.

Click here for more details of the Workshop and of the SPS Cocoa Project in Africa, available from the SPS section of the website.

The International Cocoa Council and subsidiary bodies, including the Consultative Board on the World Cocoa Economy, will meet 20 – 23 September, 2011.

At a Press Conference held on 25 March, 2011 and attended by the Chairman of the International Cocoa Council and the Chairman of the Executive Committee, Dr. Jean-Marc Anga, Executive Director a.i., reported on several of the topics reviewed by delegates at the March 2011 meetings.

Please click here to download the full Press Statement.

Presentations made at the ICCO meetings of March 2011:

icon African Capacity Building Foundation (ABCF) (Word document)

icon United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) (PowerPoint presentation)

International Cocoa Awards (PDF presentation)

The International Workshop on the Safe Use of Pesticides in Cocoa and Harmonized Legislation for Food Safety was held at the Renaissance Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 25-27 January, 2011 with generous sponsorship provided by the Malaysian Cocoa Board, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture, and Innovation of the Netherlands and the Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative.

The Workshop was jointly organized by the ICCO and the Malaysian Cocoa Board. The overall objective of the Workshop was to promote the safe use of pesticides throughout the cocoa value chain and to enhance the process of harmonization of legislation and regulations on pesticide residues in cocoa and related products, including standardization of analytical methods on pesticide residues.

The International Workshop brought together more than 200 participants from 18 countries spanning the five continents of the world. They included representatives from cocoa producers, traders, exporters, processors, chocolate manufacturers, chemical manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, governmental and non-governmental organizations, research institutions and universities. The workshop was conducted over three days with 15 presentations in four focus areas, each followed by a Question and Answer session and by panel discussions. The four focus areas were: legislation for food safety and analytical methods; the safe use of pesticides; alternatives to pesticides; and perspectives on pesticide legislation from key stakeholders. On the final day, following active deliberations between the audience and the prominent experts serving on the Panel, the Workshop adopted a list of final recommendations.

Please see the attached PDF document for further details.

Presentations

Please use the following link to view the recent TV Interview given by Dr. Jean-Marc Anga, Executive Director a.i. to Thomson Reuters.

TV Interview given by Dr. Jean-Marc Anga. (External Link)

The Executive Director is pleased to announce that Switzerland joined the International Cocoa Agreement, 2010 on 22 December 2010 and that Sierra Leone joined the International Cocoa Agreement, 2001 on 4 October 2010.

DURATION:
Two years
LOCATION:
CAMEROON, CÔTE D’IVOIRE, GHANA, NIGERIA, TOGO
NATURE OF PROJECT:
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards
ESTIMATED TOTAL COST:
US$ 6,264,109
GRANT FINANCING:
US$ 593,460 – STDF
EXTERNAL CO-FINANCING:
US$ 3,43,700 EDES; CropLife Africa; UNDP
COUNTERPART FINANCING:
US$ 2,326,949
PROJECT EXECUTING AGENCY (PEA):
Fonds Interprofessionnel pour la recherche et le Conseil Agricole (FIRCA)
PROJECT SUPERVISORY BODY:
International Cocoa Organization (ICCO)
PROJECT STARTING DATE:
January 2011
COMPLETION DATE:
December 2013

 

Brief Description

The objective of the project is to maintain market access for cocoa beans from Africa through capacity building in SPS, in order to produce good quality cocoa that complies with the relevant international regulations and legislation on pesticide residues and other harmful substances.

 

Project Status

The project was completed and closed in December 2013.

 

Implementation Results

Please click here to download the Project Completion Report (PCR)