More than 70% of the world chocolate originates on trees in West Africa, farmed by impoverished families deeply in debt. The labor intensive process requires carrying heavy loads, using pesticides and fertilizers and cutting down trees. The pressures by powerhouse chocolate companies to keep the cost down are a major force fueling human trafficking. Most of the production occurs on over two million small, family run farms deep in the jungle of the Ivory Coast and other West African nations, making any wide spread bureaucratic changes almost impossible. These impoverished farmers desperately need the price of cocoa to remain high for any chance of stabilizing their communities and their lifestyle. The closing price of cocoa on Friday December 16th was $3080.98 per ton; the commodity has been on a slight decline recently after reaching an all time high in December 2009. These stiff prices are positive for the farmers and for those hoping to change the practices, for higher prices put pressure on the abusive companies.
No comments:
Post a Comment