ABIDJAN, Feb 8 (NNN-XINHUA) — Ivorian authorities seek collaboration with farmers to tackle cocoa bean trafficking to neighboring countries.
“We must stop selling your cocoa to neighboring countries, because this will lead to the loss of money in Ivory Coast. Through these actions, we were unable to control our production,” Seydou Kiebre, president of the Central Agricultural Syndicate of Ivory Coast, said during a meeting with local farmers on Wednesday in Gbangompleu, a Western town on the border with Guinea.
“It is the profit from the sale of cocoa in Ivory Coast which allows the State to build infrastructure such as schools, roads, hydraulic pumps. Any planter who wants development must sell his cocoa in the country,” he added, promising that efforts will continue to facilitate bean sales to Ivorian buyers.
Farmers said it is essential to repair the road connecting their town so that Ivorian buyers can reach them.
Ivory Coast has been confronted with cacao beans trafficking towards Guinea, Liberia, and Togo, where the price is 200-300 CFA francs (0.3-0.5 U.S. dollars) higher per kilogram on average, according to local media.
Such practices add pressure to the Ivorian economy, the world’s largest cocoa producer, as the plants’ productivity has reduced due to El Nino-induced drought in the recent harvest seasons.
In December 2023, the country’s Coffee-Cocoa Council, the Ministry of Defence, and the Ministry of Interior and Security jointly launched an action to strengthen the security system on borders. — NNN-XINHUA
