An NGO, the Fair Labor Association (FLA), concluded in a report that child labor is a reality in cocoa plantations in Côte d’Ivoire, due in particular to the poverty and socio-economic situation of farmers. and their families.
According to a survey by the University of Chicago, one out of two children in farming households in the cocoa regions of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire work on the plantation. Worse, this proportion has increased by 15% since 2008.
According to Nestle, “no company sourcing cocoa from Ivory Coast can guarantee that this will not happen, but we can say that the fight against child labor is a top priority for our company”.
But chocolate manufacturers are under increasing pressure from investors, consumers and governments to ensure that the cocoa beans they buy have not been produced using child labor or on cocoa plantations. illegal cocoa in protected forests, which are two common practices in West Africa.
So-called “fair trade” products have become a must in the world of commerce. Fair remuneration for the producer, the most ecological cultural practice possible, help in respecting social criteria, in particular concerning the age of the workers… the criteria are numerous.
The Swiss group has therefore decided to increase its expenditure in the field of fair trade. Under the Cocoa Plan, Nestlé will spend 1.3 billion Swiss francs by 2030 (1.25 billion euros). “It is only by addressing the root causes that we will have an impact”, Nestlé chief operating officer Magdi Batato told Reuters.
This year, 10,000 cocoa farming families in Côte d’Ivoire will benefit from the income acceleration program. By sending their children to school, parents will receive an annual bonus of 500 Swiss francs (480 euros). After two years, the incentive will be capped at 250 francs. Nestlé hopes to reach all of its 160,000 cocoa farmers by 2030. Unlike other bonuses, this one will not be linked to a volume produced, which is a great incentive for small producers who are first concerned.
Because often child labor is essential for these small producers, very poorly paid, and very vulnerable to the prices of the world market always pulled down. For the Voice network working in the field of “sustainable” cocoa, a fair purchase price for the beans remains the only right answer, but Voice recognizes that the Nestlé plan marks “a big step forward”.