Monitoring the scope and benefits of Fairtrade: Cocoa - Monitoring report, 10th Edition

In 2017, cocoa was the fastest-growing Fairtrade product category with sales jumping by an impressive 57 percent in volume to more than 214,000 metric tonnes (MT). Growth continued in 2018, with a 21 percent increase in volumes sold (to 260,628 MT) and €44 million in Fairtrade Premium paid to certified cocoa producers. However, the situation for cocoa growers, especially in West Africa, continues to be very challenging. Cocoa farmers struggle to make a living despite being the source of a highly prized commodity. Widespread poverty, deforestation, gender inequality and child labour are persistent problems in the cocoa sector and pose a major threat to its sustainability. Fairtrade is changing the cocoa business for the better in a number of ways. Our top priorities are helping cocoa farming communities to fight poverty – a root cause of problems such as child labour – and empowering women farmers as business owners and leaders in their cooperatives. We do this by strengthening the capacities of Fairtrade cooperatives and their farmer members, by promoting and acting on the issue of sustainable pricing, and by designing interventions to tackle the sector’s challenges.