Liberia’s Cocoa Farming Poses Risk of Compliance with EU Deforestation Law

Liberia’s Cocoa Farming Poses Risk of Compliance with EU Deforestation Law.

A recent study by a conservation group has revealed a concerning trend in Liberia: farmers are clearing forests to make way for cocoa plantations and then trafficking the beans across the border into neighboring Ivory Coast. This activity threatens to undermine European Union (EU) efforts aimed at curbing deforestation.

The EU has approved a law set to take effect later this year, designed to prevent agricultural commodities associated with deforestation worldwide from entering the European market. While the legislation covers various products like coffee, beef, and soy, cocoa is particularly spotlighted as an initial test case. The law mandates that companies demonstrate their supply chains do not contribute to forest destruction.

Amidst efforts to trace supply chains in major cocoa-exporting countries, researchers from the Ivorian forest conservation group IDEF have discovered a concerning pattern. Farmers from Ivory Coast are migrating across the border into Liberia in search of land suitable for cocoa cultivation.

Bakary Traore, the executive director of IDEF and lead researcher of the study, expressed alarm over the accelerating flow of cocoa farmers into Liberia. He warns that without intervention, this movement risks repeating the widespread deforestation seen in Ivory Coast due to cocoa farming.

Ivory Coast, historically the world’s leading cocoa producer, faces numerous challenges including climate change, aging tree stocks, and disease, all of which threaten long-term production sustainability.

According to data from the conservation organization Global Forest Watch, Liberia lost approximately 150,000 hectares of natural forest in 2022 alone.

Acknowledging the influx of cocoa farmers from Ivory Coast over the past three years, Liberia’s Forestry Development Authority stated it is gearing up to address the issue. However, neither the Coffee and Cocoa Council of Ivory Coast nor the European Commission responded immediately to requests for comment from Reuters.

IDEF conducted its research over six months in a cluster of villages identified as a deforestation hotspot in Liberia. However, Traore emphasized that similar patterns are likely occurring along much of the border between the two West African nations.

The study found that migrant farmers began cocoa cultivation on land leased from Liberian villagers in 2018. While some plantations are still in the development phase, others are already producing cocoa.

Despite claims from companies about their ability to trace the origin of their supplies, the study revealed that Liberian-grown cocoa is being illegally trafficked back into Ivory Coast and mixed with Ivorian supplies. Traore highlighted the lack of robust oversight on the ground, warning that without better monitoring, such cocoa could find its way into the European market.