ICCO-SODECAO: Mutual convergence

Mr Michel ARRION, the International Cocoa and Coffee Organisation Executive Director accompanied by the National Cocoa and Coffee Office General Manager (ONCC) Mr Michael NDOPING had a working session with SODECAO on the 12th of March 2019 and were received in audience by Mr EkO’O AkOUAFANE Jean Claude and his Deputy General Manager Mr ENANG James ENANG.

After the welcoming speech, the General Manager Mr EkO’O AkOUAFANE Jean Claude expressed all the interest of the good relationship existing between the International Cocoa and Coffee Organisation and SODECAO. (Cocoa Development Corporation) Giving a brief account of their conversation, the General Manager of SODECAO said to have mainly retained the goodwill of the International Cocoa and Coffee Organisation Executive Director to considerably ameliorate the remuneration of the producer at the base of production. For the General Manager of Sodecao, it is an imperative to resolve the problem of the low income of the farmer. Concerning the crop diversification, the two personalities had the same point of view seeing that the crop diversification as part of the Strategic Plan of SODECAO.

Mr Michel ARRION, the new ICCO’ Executive Director since January 2019 expressed his happiness to have been warmly received at SODECAO. He promised to do the promotion of the value chain of SODECAO in order to ameliorate the income of the local farmers. Mr Michel ARRION said to count on States members who have to implement the resolutions adopted at the level of ICCO. During the discussion some aspects were evoked such as the increase of the global price of agricultural management, the farmers’ remuneration concerning the land reclamation and deforestation, the multiplication of market places with the same price of cocoa, the certification and the dialogue with private sector.