1) The food industry in Cameroon impacts cocoa producers through certification requirements and premium prices paid for certified cocoa. Certification improves farming practices like maintaining crop diversity and tree cover. 2) Most cocoa is sold through marketing chains involving middlemen, exporters, and food industry companies. Certified cocoa earns farmers a 20 euro per ton premium above standard prices. 3) Certification benefits farmers through training, premiums, and improved yields and quality. It also benefits food industries through higher selling prices for certified products in European markets. Overall, certification has positively influenced farming practices and incomes in Cameroon's cocoa sector.

1. Impact of the food-industry
on the practices of cocoa
producers in Cameroon
1
Sarah Langrand (Bordeaux Sciences Agro)
Laurène Feintrenie (CIRAD, Yaoundé)
World Conference on Agroforestry
Delhi 2014

2. What is on the menu?
• Method: how did we proceed?
• The context: Cocoa in Cameroon
• Market chain organization
• Certification
• To conclude: Take-home message
2

3. How did we proceed ?
• Market chain analysis
– Interviews
• 8 food-industries
• 2 certification bodies
• 9 experts from public
and private sectors
• 73 farmers
• Fieldwork
– Talba (Center region)
– Yaoundé and Douala
3

4. Cocoa in Cameroon
• 5th producer of the World
• Smallholders: 1.5 to 3 ha per farmer
• Food-industry companies
• 80% exported
• 2020: 100% certified
4 Mabou et al., 2012; Barel, 2009
How do the food-industries impact the
cocoa production in Cameroon?

5. Market chain organization
5
Middle harvest
(January to June)
Big harvest
(July to August)
Products Standard Standard
Certified
Price paid to
the farmers
< 1200 € per ton > 1200 € per ton
+ premium
(certified)
Cocoa market Closed 1 per week
Buyers Middlemen Traders
Quality of the
production
Low
>20% does not
have the required
quality
High

6. Finished
product
Cocoa-pods
Beans
fermented
and dried
Beans sorted,
packaged, at
the EU
standard
Beans
fermented
and dried
Selling
price i+1 =
selling price
i + charges
+ added
value
( /ton)
Farmers (Talba)
Buyers (EU)
572328
Middlemen
Wholesalers (Douala)
Exporters (Douala)
50
1540
1730
1870
290
50
60
1200
140
80
Market chain organization
6

7. • Share of the export tax
7
Market chain organization
23%
13%
55%
9%
ONCC
CICC
Fodecc
SODECAO
80 euros/ton of tax

8. Federation of unions of
GICs
Unions of GICs
GICs (Groupements
d’initiative commune)
State cooperatives
2002
2001
1985
Roles
Represents all GICs
within the
government
organization
Regroup GICs, stock
the cocoa and
negotiate the sale
contract
Regroup farmers
2013 project: Cooperative
Who?
GIC Union
GIC
1960 Disappear
Market chain organization
• Farmers’ organization
8

9. Tonsofcertifiedcocoa
Certification
Modified from Potts et al., 20109
Organic
Fairtrade
Rainforest Alliance
UTZ certified

10. European consumer
Market
Certification bodies
Food-industries
Farmers
Certified
product
requested
Help
Certification
setting up
project
Asian consumer
Food-industries
Farmers
Low price
product
request
NGO impact
Certification
10

11. Certification
• Farming school
– Scope statements
• Maintain a variety of species
• 18 cover-trees per ha
• Remunerations
• Premium to farmers: 20 € per ton
• Added value to food-industry: 260 € per
ton (vs 80 € per ton)
11

12. Certification
body
Farmers
Cooperatives
Buyers
Yield release
Verification (comparisons between
production delivered and expected
production)
Cocoa delivery
in
homologated
bags (logo,
batch number)
Certification
• Traceability
12

13. 13
Environmental
•Limitation of pesticides
•Maintenance
Agroforestry systems
Social
•Training for farmers
•Farming school
Economical
•Premium
•Added value
Certification
Certification

14. • Partnerships with the industries: opportunities
for the farmers (increased transparency)
• The main influence of industries on agricultural
practices is through certification
• Certification, recommended by the food industry
has positive impact on the agroforestry cropping
systems
• After 2020, how will the quality be
remunerated?
14
To conclude

15. 15

16. References
• Barel, M. 2009. Du cacao au chocolat, l’épopée d’une
gourmandise. 1ère édition. QUAE, France, 144pp.
• Mabou, A., François, M., Monkam, N., Broutin, C.,
Barlet, S. 2012. Comment développer les métiers
agroalimentaires en Afrique subsaharienne ? Etude de
cas Cameroun. Gret – rapport Cameroun.
• Potts, J., Van der Meer, J., Daitchman, J. 2010. The state
of subtainability initiatives review: Sustainability and
transparency. International Institute for Sustainable
Development (IISD) & International Institute for
Environment and Development (IIED), 98pp.
(http://www.iisd.org/pdf/2010/ssi_sustainability_revie
w_2010.pdf)
16

17. Acknowledgements
• To the CIRAD team in Yaoundé, and more so Martin ten
Hoopen, Olivier Sounigo and Edouard Baut. To IRAD in
Yaoundé, and especially Eddy Ngonkeu. In the field, we
would like to thank Françoise and Kenneth, the frères
de la mission Talba and the farmers in Talba.
17