Browsing: Fairtrade Africa

Cocoa Farmers gains more income

A Fair trade research study has revealed that over the past four years cocoa farmers household increased income in Ivory Coast has received a boosted earnings and lower incidences of extreme poverty as reported by Neill Barston.

This latest research comes amid key ongoing challenges within the region’s communities, which are facing significant downward pressures on crop prices impacting on communities earning capability.

Côte d’Ivoire is the world’s largest producer and exporter of cocoa beans. The Ivorian economy is largely dependent on the agricultural sector and about two-thirds of the population is engaged in this area. However, this dependency causes the Ivorian economy to be highly sensitive to changes in the international prices of these products.

According to the Fairtrade’s research key analysis, the average annual Ivorian cocoa farmer household income grew from $2,670 in 2016/17 to $4,937 in 2020/21, an increase of 85% driven, in part, by an upturn …

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Farmers across the continent are expected to meet virtually later this month at a time when they have reported massive losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Fairtrade Africa Programmes Director Chris Oluoch, farmers in Africa lost an estimated 80 percent of their revenue in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oluoch says the pandemic has also seen many workers lose their jobs, as companies closed shop due to lack of access to markets as most countries closed their borders.

Most affected was the flower sector where a number of flower farms shut down their businesses.

“In Kenya, about three flower farms completely shut down their business, while in Tanzania, two farms closed shop. The effects of the pandemic continue to cause havoc on the agriculture sector in the region that is already suffering from post-harvest losses,” said Oluoch.

Oluoch was speaking on Tuesday, 15th June 2021 during …