Ituri’s cocoa farmers are positioning themselves on the specialty cocoa market

Mambasa is one of the largest territories in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Rainfall is abundant, and the poorly maintained roads are a major challenge for transporting agricultural products. This territory is covered by the equatorial forest, which farmers readily clear to establish new fields, especially for cocoa. Yet, Mambasa is not particularly known for its cocoa. Instead, the territory has become infamous due to armed groups, notably for killing an endemic and protected animal of the region: the okapi, the flagship species of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve.

Our model of true cooperatives in the coffee sector, strictly respecting all cooperative principles, has begun to be replicated by other actors in Eastern DRC, further confirming the relevance of our approach. Moreover, other value chains are showing interest. It was in this context that a cocoa organisation from Mambasa, in Ituri, invited us to develop with them an approach for cocoa fermentation and drying centres, inspired by coffee micro-washing stations but reconfigured for cocoa.

In 2017, Rikolto conducted a study in the territory of Mambasa.
The study shows that the potential for cocoa production in this part of Ituri Province is enormous. Cocoa cultivation is the main source of income for rural families in the region. Yet, the cocoa sector in Mambasa does not bring in much for cocoa farmers. Could it be said that the sector lacks organisation? Actors on the ground focus almost exclusively on increasing production volumes, with little to no effort invested in improving quality.

However, in the Arabica coffee sector, for example, our experience has shown that farmers achieve higher incomes when the focus is first on quality, with quantity coming second. The cocoa sector faces many challenges, and cocoa is sold at very low prices due to lack of quality and weak structuring. “The farmer link is the engine of the value chain. It is this link that makes raw material available. Substantial support must be given to this link to produce cocoa in both quality and quantity,” acknowledged the administrator of the Mambasa territory.

Rikolto will work alongside at least 700 cocoa farmers, organised in the Okapi Cocoa Cooperative, to address the challenges on the path toward quality improvement. Together with the Wildlife Conservation Society, which works on protecting the okapi, we aim to combine the production of high-quality cocoa with biodiversity conservation. Since the road toward professionalising cocoa farmers is long, we remain open to partnerships with stakeholders interested in improving the livelihoods of cocoa-producing families.

Challenges

• ‍No centralised processing, no uniform cocoa

Farmers used to process cocoa at home, individually. As a result, uniform cocoa quality could not be achieved. Because each farmer processed it differently and according to their own schedule, the quality was poor.

‍Charles Kambale Kivalotwa

‍Managing Director of the Okapi Cocoa Cooperative

• ‍Low cocoa quality, low prices. Cocoa quality is poor, both before and after harvest. The market is organised solely around volume. As a result, cocoa farmers struggle to make a living from the meager income generated by the sector. "There is a market problem. Producers invest resources to grow cocoa, but when comparing the prices they are paid to their expenses, they often face a deficit. They need a market that fairly compensates their efforts. The current situation discourages some cocoa farmers, who might abandon this crop. I have seen some switching to food crops," explains Charles. ‍

• Low prices, lack of youth interest, long-term unsustainability. "Currently, the planters are mostly elderly people. Young people are not interested in agriculture because there is no support. If young people are not involved in farming, the sector is not sustainable. A failure is looming, as the older generation will disappear along with the sector — unless young people take over," continues Charles Kivalotwa. ‍
• Environmental practices not respected. In Mambasa, cocoa farming drives farmers to clear forests to open new fields, threatening local biodiversity, including the Okapi Wildlife Reserve.  ‍
• Lack of access to credit. Cocoa farmers have no access to credit due to lack of collateral, excluding them from the Congolese financial system. ‍
• Lack of export contracts. Congolese cocoa farmers do not export their cocoa. They sell their harvest to intermediaries who offer very low prices.

Results Achieved

• Establishment and legal registration of a cooperative. On October 1, 2019, on International Coffee and Cocoa Day, a cooperative was established in the Mambasa territory: the Okapi Cocoa Cooperative. The cooperative is legally registered. ‍
• Participation in international chocolate fairs and connections with cocoa buyers. In October 2019, the Okapi Cocoa Cooperative participated in the Salon du Chocolat in Paris, France, where high-quality cocoa is showcased. "A big thank you to Rikolto and its funders, Alimento and Vivace, for facilitating and financing the trip. The same thanks go to ZOTO. Without them, the small-scale cocoa farmers of Mambasa would not be known internationally. Today, it is a source of pride for Congo. Our cocoa has attracted the attention of many chocolatiers. Both small and large chocolatiers have shown interest in our cocoa. We exchanged with around twenty of them, with business relationships in prospect," says Charles, enthusiastically.