Olam Cocoa announces fresh plans to end deforestation in its global cocoa supply chain

As part of the Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI) Olam Cocoa says it is implementing its own action plan to eliminate deforestation, protect and restore forests and work with farming communities that depend on cocoa for their livelihoods, both in Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and across its global cocoa supply chain.

Olam Cocoa’s key actions include:

• Achieved 100% traceability of its sustainable cocoa supply chain in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire as part of action plan to end deforestation by cocoa in West Africa.
• On track to achieve full traceability of its direct origination supply chain worldwide by 2020.
• Committed to supporting the restoration and preservation of 460,000 hectares of forêts classées in Côte d’Ivoire.
• Mapped 100% of its supplier network in Ghana and will use this data to identify suppliers perceived to be in areas of highest forest risk by the end of 2019.
• Distributing almost 1.2 million multi-purpose shade trees in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana and 2 million improved cocoa seedlings to farmers in Ghana in 2019.
• Training 104,000 cocoa farmers in Good Agricultural Practices in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana in 2019.

Arouna Coulibaly, business head Olam Cocoa, Côte d’Ivoire, said: “This is a landmark moment for combating the complex issue of deforestation in West Africa and supporting a sustainable livelihood for millions of cocoa farmers. Olam Cocoa has already achieved 100% traceability from individual farms to first purchase point in both Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana and has mapped its entire supplier network in Ghana to be able to identify deforestation risk hotspots. We are pushing ourselves even further by aiming to map Cote d’Ivoire and other countries by the end of 2019​.”

The action plans form part of Olam’s cross-commodity Living Landscapes Policy (LLP), which goes beyond forest policies by “seeking to re-imagine the future of global agriculture where prosperous farmers, thriving rural communities, and healthy ecosystems can coexist​”.

Olam Cocoa also says it is implementing sustainability programmes in partnership with its international chocolate and confectionery customers, which are all independently verified and focused on three key areas; including forest protection and restoration, sustainable production and farmer livelihoods, and social inclusion and community engagement.