This initiative, which will be carried out in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other partners, marks 100 years since the Cadbury brothers first began trading in Ghana and aims to holistically support the development of sustainable cocoa growing communities.

Announcing the partnership, Matt Shattock, President of Cadbury Britain, Ireland, the Middle East and Africa said: “Sustainable cocoa production is vital to Cadbury’s commercial success: not simply the supply of our most important ingredient, but guaranteeing a reliable, long term source of the right quality cocoa, produced to the high standards our business, customers and our consumers expect.”

James Boateng, Managing Director of Cadbury Ghana added: "In the centenary of our relationship with the cocoa farming industry in Ghana, we are incredibly proud to launch the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership in Accra today which we hope will have a lasting impact on the lives of cocoa farmers.”

“I grew up on a cocoa farm, and owe my education to the prosperity which cocoa brought to my family, and look forward to contributing to the future of cocoafarming. In Ghana there is a phrase 'Coco obatanpa' which means 'Cocoa is a good parent; it looks after you'. We hope with this initiative Cadbury and our partners can be a good parent to cocoa."

Research by the University of Sussex and the University of Accra into "Sustainable Cocoa Production in Ghana," funded by Cadbury, showed that the average production for a cocoa farmer has dropped to only 40% of potential yield and that cocoa farming has become less attractive to the next potential generation of farmers.The Cadbury Cocoa Partnership programme aims to address some of the root causes of these issues - improving farmer productivity and helping to attract the next generation into cocoa farming.

The Partnership will therefore focus on:
1. Improving cocoa farmer incomes: by helping farmers increase their yields and produce top quality beans.

2. Introducing new sources of rural income: through microfinance and businesssupport to kick start new rural businesses and introduce additional income streams such as growing other crops.

3. Investing in community led development: to improve life in cocoa communities e.g. supporting education through schools and libraries, supporting the environment through biodiversity projects, and building wells for clean, safe water.

4. Working in partnership: developing a pioneering model which will be led fromthe grass roots. Farmers, governments, NGOs and international agencies will worktogether to decide how the funding is spent and work with local organisations to turnplans into action.

The majority of the Partnership funds (70%) will be invested into small farms and farming villages in Ghana, which provide the cocoa beans for Cadbury's UKchocolate, giving it its unique and much loved taste. Brands using Ghanaian beans include Cadbury Dairy Milk, Wispa, Flake, Creme Egg and Buttons.

Cadbury is initially investing £1m in 2008 as a seed fund to establish the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership, with annual funding levels rising to a steady rate of £5m from 2010. 

More information:
Cadbury Schweppes: Rowan Pearman, 0207 830 5011
UNDP: Chandrika Deshpande, 020 7396 5338

Source: Cadbury 

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