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Transcript/ScriptIVORY COAST COCOA CLIMATE -- USAGM
HEADLINE: As Hershey’s Raises Prices, Ivory Coast Cocoa Farmers Grapple With Climate Change
TEASER: Harvard University says large parts of Ivory Coast will not be able to produce cocoa by 2030
PUBLISHED AT: 3/07/22 at 4:30pm
BYLINE: Henry Wilkins
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Adzope, Ivory Coast
VIDEOGRAPHER: Henry Wilkins
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: DLJ, MAS
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA, Zoom
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO _X_
TRT: 3:05
VID APPROVED BY: MAS
TYPE: TVPKG:
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO)) [[Chocolate makers are expected to raise prices this year due to higher costs of cocoa from exporters like Ivory Coast, the world's largest cocoa producer. Ivorian cocoa farmers say they’ve been forced to raise prices because climate change is making it hard for them to grow their crops. Henry Wilkins reports from Adzope, Ivory Coast.]]
((NARRATOR))
Hershey’s, the largest producer of chocolate products in the United States, said last month it will raise prices of its products across the board, due to the rising cost of ingredients.
Meanwhile, chocolate makers say they are seeing cocoa prices rise in Ivory Coast, the world’s biggest cocoa producer.
((Dana Mroueh, Mon Choco Director (in English)))
“We’ve noticed the price of cocoa is going up these few years, especially organic cocoa, so from the beginning, to today, those five years, we can say the price has risen 20%.”
Demand for chocolate in America increased during COVID-19, cocoa producers in Ivory Coast are struggling to keep up with that demand.
Experts say one reason is the impact of climate change.
Harvard University says that by 2030, parts of West Africa will be too hot and dry to adequately produce cocoa. The West African countries of Ghana and Ivory Coast alone, produce 70% of global supply.
Cocoa farmer Raphael Konan Kouassi says trees are yielding less due to rising temperatures and poor rains.
((Raphael Konan Kouassi, Cocoa Farmer (in French, ?? secs)))
“First, almost all of the young plants die in the high season. If you have not been able to get water to them you have no cocoa. Secondly, this has reduced the production of cocoa for those of us who farm it. Thirdly, the heat is so strong that also reduces production.”
Kouassi receives government assistance in the form of cocoa trees which are more resilient to the fluctuations of climate change but says government distributions happen at the wrong time of year for the saplings to survive.
The Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centres, a global scientific organization, says getting information about how the climate is changing can help inform farmers on how to better nurture their crops.
((Mandatory Courtesy: Zoom))
((Christian Bunn, The Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centres (in English, ??secs)))
“What we’re seeing is that the onset of both dry and wet season can change, it’s less reliable. During the season there may be breaks in terms of - there may be rain during the dry season, or there’s a dry spell during the wet season and the overall distribution or amounts of rainfall they’re receiving may change.”
But it says the data finds it may be better for farmers to get out of cocoa and diversify into other crops.
One supplier of cocoa products in Ivory Coast, who supplies Hersheys, say higher prices for cocoa could be welcomed by farmers, however.
((Olga Yenou, Tafissa CEO (in English, ?? secs)))
“My opinion is that these farmers should have better prices, should earn more because they work hard. Most are poor.”
Her wish appears to be coming true. As climate change continues to bite, prices continue to surge.
Henry Wilkins, for VOA News, Adzope, Ivory Coast
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)Adzope, Ivory Coast
Embargo DateMarch 7, 2022 17:26 EST
BylineHenry Wilkins
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
