Cocoa Giant Seeks EU Flexibility on Sustainability Rules
- Measures may threaten exports, says Ivory Coast regulator
- Cocoa farmers face challenges on protected forests, poverty
Photographer: Jose Cendon/Bloomberg
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Ivory Coast, the world’s top cocoa producer, appealed to the European Union for flexibility as the country prepares to comply with the bloc’s proposed sustainability legislation, which could threaten exports of the key chocolate ingredient.
The EU measures, set to be introduced later this year, aim to protect forests, curb child labor and end farmer poverty. The bloc “needs to be flexible in its enforcement,” said Yves Kone, managing director of Le Conseil du Cafe-Cacao, Ivory Coast’s cocoa regulator.