Producing more cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire is one thing, but the cocoa also needs to be high quality which requires good post-harvest techniques.

The website of the Sustainable Cocoa Initiative reports on the work of the Vision for Change project – a joint initiative between Mars Inc. and the World Agroforestry Centre - to produce sustainable cocoa through improved planting material, increasing the supply and use of fertilizer and reducing losses to pests and diseases.

The project has recently concentrated on assessing the quality of cocoa with training provided on sensory practices, the importance of flavour quality and reviewing post-harvest practices. The aim is to monitor cocoa bean flavour quality from farms throughout the season and comparing project and non-project cocoa. This will ensure farmers ferment and dry cocoa in the best way to ensure their cocoa is high quality.

The Vision for Change partnership aims to reach 150,000 cocoa producers by 2020 in the region of Soubré.

Read the full story: Vision For Change Tackles Cocoa Bean Quality