The 2020-2021 coffee and cocoa marketing campaign was officially launched on Tuesday in Kpalimé (about 120 km north of Lomé), during a ceremony chaired by the Minister in charge of trade Kodjo Adédzé, noted the correspondent of the Knowledge News Agency.

The minister in charge of agriculture Gbégbéni Antoine Lékpa was also present.

The marketing of coffee and cocoa in Togo is supervised by the Coordination Committee of Coffee and Cocoa Sectors (CCFCC), a parastatal structure placed under the dual supervision of the ministries in charge of Trade and Agriculture.

This ceremony is in line with the promotion of local consumption and the efforts made by the government to encourage production, processing, marketing and consumption of local products.

According to official sources, no price has been set for the moment, the time to find out about the costs worldwide.

But an “indicative price” has been fixed, according to certain indiscretions: 950 F.CFA/kilogram.

Coffee and cocoa occupy the second and third places respectively among the traditional agricultural export products after cotton, thus contributing to the formation of 1.4% of the national wealth and 5.5% of the GDP.

Partial view of support

The Minister of Trade invited the actors to work on the quality of the products to initiate the process of labeling coffee and cocoa, in order to gain in price differential.

Kodjo Adédzé did not fail to note the progress made in the development of the coffee and cocoa sectors in Togo, thanks to the combined action of the various actors.

“This campaign opens in a special context marked by the health crisis linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. The crisis situation that the whole world is going through and which is slowing down international trade must challenge all players in international trade and more particularly the coffee and cocoa economies”, he underlined.

“For these two sectors dependent on global demand, the fight against covid-19 requires the existence of open and predictable markets to limit the spread of the virus and at the same time promote a strong and inclusive recovery,” added the Minister. Adedze.

Speaking of the consumption of coffee and cocoa, the latter pointed out that efforts are being made by the CFCC and the Association of Coffee and Cocoa Processors (ATCC).

Above all, he urged the players to respect the hygiene rules for the processing and packaging of derivative products, in order to respond favorably to consumer expectations.