Cargill’s cocoa business is collaborating with Mondelez International to introduce a two-year program in Indonesia, which will be aimed at improving the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and introducing sustainability in farming practices.
The farmers in the two districts of Southeast Sulawesi will benefit from the two-and-half-year program. The project will be funded through a grant from the Millennium Challenge Account.
The program, whixh is implemented with Swisscontact, will entail training good agricultural practices to correct environmental practices so as to reduce carbon emissions through cocoa farming, Foodbev reported.
The project is intended to benefit 6,000 farmers and their families in the districts of Kolaka and Kolaka Timur in Southeast Sulawesi, reported Food Iingredients First.
The partnership is part of Mondelez's Cocoa Life programme. The collaboration also reflects Cargill's commitments to improving the livelihoods of farmers through its Cocoa Promise, reported Foodbev.com.
Since July 2014, Mondelez and Cargill have been collaborating to help farmers in Sulawesi to bolster Indonesia's position as a leading producer of quality, sustainable cocoa.
In February 2015, the companies entered into a partnership agreement to support Mondelez International's Cocoa Life program.
Cocoa Life manager Southeast Asia Andi Sitti Asmayanti was quoted by Foodingredientsfirst.com as saying: "After a successful first collaboration with Cargill in Indonesia in 2014, we are very excited to be working in partnership again on a large scale project in Indonesia. Through Cocoa Life, Mondelez International plans to reach 40,000 farmers in Indonesia and we believe this project will be a major step forward in reaching this commitment, and supporting cocoa farmers and communities to thrive."
Cargill Coca & Chocolate managing director in Asia Pacific Niels Boetje said: "For 150 years, farmers have been central to our business. They are the cornerstone of our participation in the food and agriculture industry all over the world.
"At Cargill, we see it as our fundamental responsibility to work towards improving their quality of life and raise their incomes in the communities where we live and work. We do this by engaging them at various levels to become more productive, more efficient, and to grow their business to be more sustainable, especially by better utilising their land and natural resources."
Image: Cargill, Mondelez offer sustainable farming practices program to Indonesian farmers. Photo: Courtesy of Karen Shaw/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
