KASAVA: A project for a sustainable cocoa market

World cocoa prices continue to fall. The situation is of utmost concern to the producing countries. Madagascar obviously has not spared by this crisis.

Although Madagascar owns a small share of the world cocoa market, this sector still plays a role. An estimated production of 6,000 to 8,000 tons a year seems very low compared to a world production of more than 4 million tons. It results in preponderant part in the country’s economy. Find cocoa producers Madagascar.

Fine cocoa. Madagascar becomes famous worldwide because the Malagasy cocoa has obtained the “cocoa fine” label. This certification comes from the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) and organic certification. The cocoa from Madagascar  ranks among the best in the world. However, production still depends on small farmers in Madagascar. 95% of cocoa production comes from peasant cocoa producers with one to three hectares of cocoa plantation. To improve the comparative advantage of the country, the National Cocoa Council (CNC) tries to increase in productivity and national competitiveness. Recently, the ICCO, in partnership with the National Cocoa Council, organized an international seminar on the theme “for a sustainable cocoa market sector in Madagascar. Jean Marc Anga, Executive Director of ICCO, reiterated on this occasion the importance of Malagasy cocoa on the world market. He encouraged the actors of the cocoa market and the public authorities to redouble their efforts to maintain this sector.

Small producers. The KASAVA or Kakao Sambirano Vanona project belongs to the actions undertaken for this sustainable cocoa market. Initiated since October 2016, to end in December 2019, this project targets small cocoa producers in Madagascar. The latter receive capacity building for good practices in the production of fine and disease-resistant cocoa, according to agronomic, economic, commercial, social and environmental criteria. These practices also allow them to increase harvests. The construction of water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure will benefit cocoa producers. It will also benefit their communities of about 15,000 direct beneficiaries. Madagascar currently has about 33,000 cocoa farmers. It counts mainly smallholders in the Sambirano Valley. They produce around 6,000 to 7,000 tons of cocoa beans a year. “More than half of these farms have more than 20 years of experience. However, they have low density of cocoa trees, resulting in low yields. In addition, the sector is unregulated. Infrastructure is poor and farmers receive very little support from the state and non-governmental organizations, if at all, leading to very low returns. This four-year project aims to change this situation by helping farmers improve their practices, and in a second step, improving their livelihoods, “reads in the project’s presentation site. https.//madagascar.helvetas.org.

Success! According to this site, the KASAVA pilot project was a success and received a good appreciation from the producers involved in the project. Because of this, officials have decided to extend and expand the project to have more producers through training over the next four years, and include agricultural and community development activities. “As part of this project, the goal is to set up a sustainable cocoa bean supply chain of cocoa end of Madagascar. As a result, cocoa farmers in the Sambirano Valley are organized in groups to facilitate training and visits of agricultural technicians. Cocoa producers madagascar benefit from a comprehensive support program in the form of training and agricultural investments . Trainers organize them in groups and receive a complete training on the cocoa farmer’s agricultural, social and environmental practices. Based on training material used in other countries, the content developed is structured around 9 modules and covers all the essential topics for cocoa producers madagascar to improve their practices. For example, farmers learn the right time for harvesting. They learn how cocoa beans should be fermented and dried. And which cocoa beans should be cut for cocoa resistance. They learn what to do to prevent disease. Also, they find out solutions on how does the soil need to be fed with organic matter.