Representing Swisscontact and the Sustainable Cocoa Production Program (SCPP), Program Director Manfred Borer signed the MoU along with Irwan Prayitno, Governor of West Sumatra, and Liock Kieng Peter Ng, Director of Trading & Sustainability for ADM Cocoa in Singapore. The SCPP is funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and supported by the Dutch organisation IDH (the Sustainable Trade Initiative), under the umbrella of its Cocoa Productivity and Quality Program (CPQP) in West Africa and Indonesia.
The parties have agreed to work together in a pilot programme targeting cocoa farmers in the adjoining regencies of Lima Puluh Kota, Padang Pariaman and Tanah Datar. With this agreement, ADM Cocoa proudly introduces elements of its Socially & Environmentally Responsible Agriculture Practices (SERAP) cocoa sustainability programme to the cocoa farmers of Sumatra. The SCPP and ADM Cocoa SERAP has started to train 310 farmers in best practices related to planting material, crop care and pest control, fertilizer use and post-harvest fermentation practices. Once trained, these farmers will reach out to other farmers in their communities; thus providing an agricultural extension service and multiplying the benefits of the training programme.
The project will roll out further in 2013 and in the first phase directly train as many as 2,000 West Sumatran cocoa farmers and their families. As knowledge is transferred, both quality and productivity will significantly improve. In its support for this project, the government of West Sumatra not only seeks to improve cocoa quality and productivity, but also encourages an increase in total annual cocoa production in the province to almost 120,000 metric tons.
ADM Cocoa has also agreed to supply information related to the standards of quality best suited to premium chocolate and cocoa powder production, along with up to date market information. ADM Cocoa intends to respect high quality cocoa production with a direct purchase approach and a quality bonus programme designed to encourage sustainable growth and farmer livelihood improvements.
Manfred Borer, Program Director from Swisscontact in Indonesia, says, “Swisscontact, as implementing partner of ADM Cocoa in this state of the art cocoa development programme in West Sumatra, builds on the excellent support of the local government. The programme facilitates close to 100 Farmer Field Schools in which cocoa smallholder farmers receive best practice training, delivered by trained Government Extension Officers. This approach, together with the inclusion of ADM Cocoa as commercial partner, ensures the true sustainability of all programme activities.”
Joost Oorthuizen, CEO of IDH, adds, “The training in best practice will reach more than 2,000 cocoa farmers. It is an excellent instrument to help raise productivity and the quality of cocoa farming in West Sumatra that will improve the livelihoods of farmers and their families. The cooperation between Swisscontact, IDH and ADM is a first class example of public-private cooperation that will deliver both public goods as well as added value for ADM.”
And finally, Scott Walker, President ADM Cocoa, agrees, “Our SERAP Sumatra project is an excellent example of the synergies possible in a great public-private collaboration where the partners bundle their know-how and experience to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farming families. We need strong professional farmers that continuously learn how to be more productive. This will bring sustainable efficient solutions to cocoa farmers, our customers and our business; thus creating quality solutions and value all along the supply-chain.”
