Cocoa beans exported from Cote d'Ivoire to the EU, originate from deforested land in Liberia

Authors of an investigation reveal that companies sourcing cocoa from Côte d'Ivoire are promoting the destruction of forests in Liberia. The conclusions of the field investigation, presented by the Initiatives for Community Development and Forest Conservation (IDEF) representative Bakary Traoré, released at a major event held yesterday in Brussels, highlight that the traceability mechanisms used by these companies are flawed and do not comply with the new anti-deforestation regulation published on June 9, 2023, in the Official Journal of the European Union. The investigators argue that these mechanisms should be replaced by the robust and transparent national traceability system now in place in Côte d'Ivoire. "Work is currently underway in Côte d'Ivoire to set up a national traceability system. Under this system, all plots of land in Côte d'Ivoire will be geolocated, and producers will be registered. A map of producers, including a barcode system, will also indicate what ...