Paying the price of chocolate: Breaking cocoa farming's cycle of poverty
Cocoa farmers receive just 3% of the retail price of a chocolate bar, according to Oxfam.
Many cocoa farmers live on less than $1.25 a day, below the threshold of absolute poverty, according to the World Bank.
“If we were to raise the price of a chocolate bar by 3% it would make a difference at farm level but it would not hit the consumers too hard,” said Jean-Marc Anga, executive director of the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO).
Originally published in Confectionery News on July 10, 2014 and updated on May 11, 2017. Read the full article here.
Archived Comments
I don’t know, but maybe better would be to help the farmer improve methods to reduce waste and crop losses.
I would, but first issue: what’s the guarantee that it goes to the farmer and not the “middleman”?
I would definitely pay more per bar of chocolate if it meant the farmers would get paid fairly.
What are your thoughts? How much more would you be willing to pay for chocolate — if you could be assured that the extra you paid made it all the way back to the farmer?