Coffee and Cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire

As the sun rises and people the world over go about their business of starting the day, millions upon millions will be sharing a common experience: the first, eagerly awaited cup of coffee

Connoisseurs of the beverage may be aware of the difference between the two types of coffee— robusta and arabica —but few of them would be able to pinpoint the country producing the beans that eventually find their way into their coffee mug. Nor would they be likely to pose many questions about the harvesting of the beans and their processing. If coffee has become a way of life, particularly in the northern hemisphere and Latin America, another bean, first brought to Europe in 1544 and introduced to Africa by the colonial powers in 1879 has become part of most people’s staple diet and a particular favourite among children.

Cocoa and coffee are the most important cash crops of Côte d’Ivoire. The country tops the list of the world’s cocoa producers; cocoa represents 90 per cent of its foreign exchange earnings. For many years Côte d’Ivoire ranked third among coffee producing nations after Brazil and Colombia. Civil unrest took its toll on coffee production in 2002/2003 and beyond, while more recently Ivorien coffee and cocoa exports have suffered another setback in the form of a tropical fungus.

A carcinogenic toxin named Ochratoxine. A secreted by some types of fungus can lead to liver and kidney damage and weaken the immune system. Recent studies have shown, however, that much of the toxin is in fact destroyed in processing coffee beans, although only 20 per cent is currently removed from the cocoa bean during processing. The toxin is found in far larger concentrations in cereals so it is more likely to be traced to the breakfast bowl than the breakfast mug. Much has been written about Ochratoxine A and its link to coffee and cocoa, and this has been potentially damaging for countries like Côte d’Ivoire. In an effort to regain the confidence of coffee and cocoa importers, particularly the European Union, UNIDO is helping to establish a laboratory that will have the facilities and accreditation necessary to provide an internationally acceptable analysis of the beans. UNIDO is working on three studies that (a) monitor the status of the toxin and the impact of its removal; (b) identify the critical points where the bean picks up the fungus; and (c) check the relevance of the sampling methods used to establish the level of toxin.

The third component of the programme involves awarenessraising. Most of the contamination occurs outside on the plantation and during the first processing steps that take place on the farm. With 1.7 hectares of cocoa and over 600,000 hectares of coffee, producers must be made aware of the precautions than can be taken to avoid, or reduce, contamination.

Shortly after the launch of the project, the European Union decided to suspend the introduction of the new contamination limits that could have led to the rejection of coffee and cocoa emanating from Côte d’Ivoire. In the case of cocoa, only a small amount of the raw material is consumed daily, while the level of toxin in processed coffee is low. Nevertheless, the situation could change in the future if contamination is not brought under control. When all is said and done, the money and effort invested into ensuring high quality, uncontaminated coffee and cocoa reap benefits in terms of greater consumer protection and the renewed confidence of importers.