Cocoa barometer 2015: chocolate too cheap to be sustainable
The Cocoa Barometer 2015 (PDF) is published and funded by the members of the Barometer Consortium: FNV Mondiaal, Hivos, Solidaridad, and the VOICE Network (Oxfam Novib, Oxfam Wereldwinkels, ABVV/Horval, Berne Declaration, Stop The Traffik, and Südwind Institut). The cocao barometer was launched at the chocoa conference in March 2015. The main conclusion from the report is that at the moment, chocolate is too cheap to be sustainable. Current cocoa farmers are not receiving a living income and younger generations no longer want to be in cocoa. Therefore, this barometer focuses on the financial aspects of the cocoa supply chain. Previous Cocoa Barometers have looked at issues such as ‘Beyond Certification’ and ‘Beyond Productivity’. This Barometer looks at the themes “Value Distribution” and “Living Income for Smallholders”. Recommendations from the report include: 1) Develop a living income model for smallholder cocoa farming, 2) Address the price-setting mechanisms in order to increase prices at farm-gate level and 3) Move from voluntary to mandatory sector-wide solutions.