Description

With an annual production of less than 1000 tons in 2014, the cocoa sector in the Republic of Congo has become marginal compared to its West African neighbors. In 2012, the Congolese Government launched the National Program for the Development of Cocoa Production, aimed at reviving the sector through a public-private partnership. The objective of the Program was to contribute to the improvement of sustainable cocoa production to increase producers’ revenues and allow the Republic of Congo to become a cocoa producer and exporter again. The first phase of the program was suspended for lack of funding, but in 2019 the Agence française de development (AFD) agreed to fund a project focusing on the structural aspect of the value chain (robust rules, good quality germplasm, adapted organization, sustainable cropping systems). The specific objectives are to contribute to the emergence of the cocoa sector in the North of Congo (Sangha, Likouala and Cuvette Districts), to promote a cocoa production of high quality and to limit the negative impacts of the emerging sector on the environment. This is achieved through the implementation of farmer advisory services and the development of a cocoa value chain that is environmentally sound, e.g. through the promotion of smallholder cocoa-based agroforests. The project is implemented by the consortium TEREA-ICRAF-CIRAD from July 2021 to June 2025.