European Cocoa Forum to focus on the influence of blockchain in the industry

The European Cocoa Forum, which takes place in Lisbon, Portugal, from September 17 to 19, has announced details of its second panel discussion, which will be on the impact of new technology and how it can influence trading and price behavior.

Under the theme ‘Values in cocoa, new technologies and unblocking the blockchain’, high-level speakers and industry experts will discuss how satellite technology can improve traceability and curb forest degradation, along with the challenges that are emerging regarding blockchain applications.

 ​Confirmed panellists include:

• Jonathan Parkman (Joint Head of Agriculture, Marex Financial),
• Mischa Tripoli (Economist, Trade and Markets Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations),
• Rob McWilliam (Global Director, Earthworm Foundation/Airbus Defence & Space),
• Christophe Alliot (Director, BASIC).

The ECF’s second panel of four over the two-day event will revolve around four main themes:

1. How can price volatility and financial speculation affect the cocoa futures markets? How can new technologies be applied to agriculture derivative markets in the near future?

2. The outcomes of the recent FAO report on “Emerging opportunities for the application of blockchain in the Agri-food industry” ​and notably how Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLTs) can simplify and integrate supply chains, enhance food safety, reduce costs and risks in trade finance while increasing access to agricultural financial services?

• How can DLTs facilitate the logistics and handling of payments and insurance policies, and grant greater access to accurate data?
• How can DLTs improve transparency, traceability and supply chain sustainability?  
• How can DLTs bring greater efficiency and accountability in climate change mitigation?
• How to overcome technical and institutional challenges to ensure the scalability and accessibility of DLTs?

3. How can the new Airbus/Earthworm “Starling” program, using satellite technologies, help report forestry changes and verify compliance with sustainable sourcing?

4. What are the key findings of the “ECA/EU/FAO comparative study of the distribution of value in European Chocolate chains”?

Preliminary results will be announced during the Forum and further panel discussions are planned on ‘optimising cocoa quality, addressing key food safety regulatory challenges, new fermentation approaches’; and ‘raising the integrity and credibility of the cocoa supply chain in tackling deforestation and child labor’.

Information on how to register for the event is available at www.eurococoa.com​.