Cameroon will be sharing cocoa location data in order to comply with EU environment regulations

Cameroon’s cocoa and coffee association recently signed agreements with six cocoa exporters to implement a platform that will offer location data for plantations. This initiative is aimed at ensuring compliance with an upcoming EU regulation that focuses on deforestation-free products.

According to data from the country’s National Cocoa and Coffee Board, Cameroon shipped approximately 80% of its total cocoa bean exports, amounting to 185,613 metric tons in the 2023/2024 farming season, to the European Union, which is its largest market.

According to the upcoming EU regulation, starting at the end of this year, any chocolate-making ingredient or other products that have been manufactured on land that has been deforested or degraded after December 31, 2020, will not be allowed to be sold on the EU market. This aligns with existing international agreements.

According to officials, the traceability platform, overseen by Cameroon’s Cocoa and Coffee Interprofessional Council, will enable EU buyers to easily obtain the coordinates of cocoa farmers’ plantations. As most cocoa farms have already been georeferenced by industry operators, the platform would then anonymously query the data holders.

This initiative is commendable, as it involves both the private sector and the government. According to Jean-Marc Chataigner, the EU ambassador to Cameroon, it is important not only to comply with EU regulations, but also to demonstrate that the product is of the highest quality in the global market.

According to Chataigner, the EU has not yet been involved in the process.

According to Narcisse Olinga, the deputy director responsible for external trade, approximately 260,000 metric tons, which accounts for roughly 80% of Cameroon’s cocoa production, already complies with the traceability requirement set by the EU.

“We are confident that we will achieve 100% compliance before the regulation takes effect,” he stated.

Kate Fotso, CEO of Telcar Cocoa, a Cargill joint venture, emphasized the importance of adhering to regulations to safeguard the interests of buyers, small exporters, and the country as a whole.

There are six exporters in total, including Telcar Cocoa, Ofi Cam (a subsidiary of Olam International), Neo Industry, Atlantic Cocoa Corporation, Sic-Cacaos, and the FODECC, which is the country’s Cocoa and Coffee Subsectors Development Fund.