Cocoa-producing countries are under increasing pressure to ensure greater sustainability of the sector. The Conseil du Café-Cacao (CCC) has just launched an appeal to the European Union (EU) to be more flexible in its requirements on sustainable cocoa.

The EU, which absorbs more than 65% of its brown gold exports, plans to adopt stricter regulations by the end of this year prohibiting the importation into the Community market of cocoa originating in particular from deforestation and child labor.

Local authorities, however, believe that it will take time to adapt. While 15% of cocoa producers are currently based in protected forests, Yves Brahima Koné (photo), number one of the CCC, believes that it would pose a real social problem to expel individuals suddenly. According to the CCC, alignment with European standards sounds like a real challenge due to the complexity of the situation on the ground.