Ivory Coast Cocoa Traceability Lags Ahead of EU Deforestation Rules

Mintesinot Niggusie

Less than half of Ivory Coast’s cocoa exports can currently be traced back to the cooperatives where the beans were produced, raising concerns over the country’s readiness to comply with incoming European Union anti-deforestation regulations, according to analysis released by non-profit Trase.

The study found that only 48 percent of the country’s 2024 cocoa exports are traceable to producer cooperatives, with the remainder moving through fragmented supply chains involving multiple intermediaries and indirect sourcing channels.

The findings come ahead of new European Union rules due to take effect in December requiring importers of commodities such as cocoa, coffee and palm oil to demonstrate that products entering the bloc were not produced on deforested land.

Under the regulation, companies importing affected commodities into the EU must provide traceability information linking raw materials to the specific plots where they were grown. Trase said traceability levels in Ivory Coast, the world’s largest cocoa producer, have shown little improvement since its previous assessment published two years ago.

“The prevalence of indirect supplies of cocoa and the resulting lack of visibility into its origins makes it very difficult for companies to address issues such as deforestation or child labour,” the UK-based organisation said in the report.

The analysis highlights growing pressure on cocoa-producing countries and global commodity traders to strengthen supply-chain monitoring systems as environmental and sustainability requirements tighten across major export markets.

Ivory Coast plays a central role in the global cocoa industry, supplying a significant share of the beans used by international chocolate manufacturers, many of which rely heavily on European consumers and processing markets.