Many of Uganda’s small-scale farmers rely on someone else to dry their beans, a practice that keeps them in a cycle of poverty. A new processing factory aims to change that.. Bundibugyo, Uganda | Patricia Lindrio – Global Press Journal Uganda | It’s harvest day on Edson Sabite’s 4-acre cocoa plantation …
Read More »Bundibugyo farmers register decline in cocoa production
Bundibugyo, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Cocoa farmers in Bundibugyo district are concerned about the significant decline in production. The decline according to farmers is due to the impact of climate change, theft, and use of bad agrochemicals. Bundibugyo is the leading cocoa producer in Uganda. Cocoa is harvested twice a …
Read More »Suspected ADF rebels burn 7 tons of cocoa in DRC
Ituri, DRC | THE INDEPENDENT | More than seven tons of Cocoa and a public transport vehicle were on Thursday evening set on fire and burnt to ashes by suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels at Mahu village, Bangole Mambasa territory in Ituri province, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). …
Read More »Cocoa farmers, experts demand establishment of independent authority
Kasese, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Cocoa farmers and experts in Kasese District are demanding the establishment of an independent authority to oversee crop production. They reason that the absence of such a body has affected their production and quality of Cocoa, which has affected the visibility of Uganda’s Cocoa on …
Read More »Lack of data on cocoa production hurting Ugandan farmers – Experts
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Lack of data is the key setback in cocoa production and marketing in Uganda. Emmanuel Lubega, the Uganda-South Sudan national coordinator at the East African Business Council-EABC, argues that even when hundreds of farmers are involved in cocoa-growing, the country lacks accurate production data to attract …
Read More »Bundibugyo officials start patrols to stop sell of immature cocoa
Bundibugyo, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Local leaders in Kisuba sub county in Bundibugyo district have intensified community patrols to arrest farmers and traders involved in harvesting and selling immature cocoa. The operation has so far seen the arrest of more than 10 farmers and traders. They were detained briefly …
Read More »I.Coast must overhaul key cocoa sector: World Bank
Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | Ivory Coast, the world’s largest cocoa producer, earns just a fraction of the crop’s potential value and must process it domestically and develop its distribution to fully reap the benefits, a World Bank report said Thursday. Cocoa accounts for 40 percent of the West African …
Read More »Ivory Coast produces record cocoa crop
Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | The cocoa crop of Ivory Coast, the world’s biggest producer, increased 28.5 percent to a record 2.15 million tonnes in the 2016-17 season, the national Coffee and Cocoa Council said Friday. Exports increased by 23.3 percent to 1.9 million tonnes, helping to raise the …
Read More »‘Chocolate industry driving deforestation of Ivory Coast’
Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | The chocolate industry is indirectly driving massive and illegal deforestation in Ivory Coast, fuelling a catastrophic decline in wildlife, a green group said Wednesday. “In several national parks and other protected areas, 90 percent or more of the land mass has been converted to …
Read More »Farmers reaps big as cocoa earns Uganda $74million in 2015
Reaping big from cocoa INTERVIEW: Stephen Sembuya is the CEO of Pink Food Industries, a cocoa-producing enterprise. He spoke to Ian Katusiime about cocoa and the other pertinent issues in the industry. What influences your management style? I come from an industrious background. My dad was the founder of Sembule …
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