Unprecedented industry alignment to advance sustainability in the West African cocoa sector
DECATUR, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) announced today its
participation in the World Cocoa Foundation’s CocoaAction strategy,
which brings together leaders in the cocoa industry to advance
sustainability efforts in West Africa. Through CocoaAction, 12 of the
world’s largest cocoa and chocolate companies will voluntarily
coordinate their resources and align their objectives to increase
efforts to build a stronger, more economically viable cocoa sector. The
governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, the world’s leading
cocoa-producing countries, helped develop CocoaAction and have committed
to working with World Cocoa Foundation members to achieve its goals.
“ADM’s participation in CocoaAction complements our Socially and
Environmentally Responsible Agricultural Practices (S.E.R.A.P.TM)
program, which supports farmers and cocoa-growing communities through
community-based projects that focus on social responsibility,
environmental stewardship, quality and production, and producer-group
professionalism,” said Ian Pinner, president, ADM Global Cocoa. “By
aligning our existing sustainability efforts with CocoaAction’s
multi-faceted approach, ADM is building upon its commitment to improving
the livelihoods of West African cocoa farmers and the communities in
which they live.”
CocoaAction is based on a holistic approach to improve livelihoods and
economic opportunities in cocoa communities, with a combined focus on
measures to increase productivity and support community development.
Specifically, CocoaAction’s goals are that, by 2020, at least 300,000
farmers in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana (200,000 in Côte d’Ivoire and 100,000
in Ghana) will have increased their productivity by 100 percent or more
through improved agricultural practices and increased access to planting
materials and fertilizer. Additionally, the program aims to strengthen
the communities in which cocoa farmers live by focusing on education,
child labor monitoring and remediation and activities to advance women’s
empowerment.
More information about ADM’s SERAP program and the company’s commitment
to responsible cocoa production throughout the world can be found at www.adm.com/cocoasustainability.
About ADM
For more than a century, the people of Archer Daniels Midland Company
(NYSE: ADM) have transformed crops into products that serve vital needs.
Today, 31,000 ADM employees around the globe convert oilseeds, corn,
wheat and cocoa into products for food, animal feed, industrial and
energy uses. With more than 270 processing plants, 470 crop procurement
facilities, and the world’s premier crop transportation network, ADM
helps connect the harvest to the home in more than 140 countries. For
more information about ADM and its products, visit www.adm.com.
Archer Daniels Midland Company
Media Relations
Jackie Anderson
217-424-5413
media@adm.com