date:May 30, 2014
oblem is unrealized potential, said Damien Thouvenel, a cocoa trader for Sucres et Denrees SA, or Sucden, in Paris. Growers in Ivory Coast, which, combined with neighboring Ghana, is the source of 55% of the worlds cocoa, harvest an average of 400 kilograms (882 pounds) of beans per hectare (2.5 acres) while a farm thats well-managed with fertilizers and pesticides can yield up to 1.5 tons per hectare, Thouvenel said.
To address this, 12 of the worlds largest chocolate and cocoa companies, incl