The International CoCoa Farmers Organization (ICCFO) is an organization that was formed in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in 2014 in response to

cocoa bean The cocoa bean (technically cocoa seed) or simply cocoa (), also called the cacao bean (technically cacao seed) or cacao (), is the dried and fully fermented seed of ''Theobroma cacao'', from which cocoa solids (a mixture of nonfat substance ...

farmers needing an international platform for discussing issues in the industry. The ICCFO aims to make sure cocoa is sourced using sustainable methods and to improve the conditions of cocoa farmers and farm workers. The ICCFO consists of regional organisations in different countries representing around 600,000 cocoa workers in total. The governing board of the ICCFO consists of 13 members, each representing a cocoa-producing country. The members and structure of the board were announced in a meeting held in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

in February 2015.

History

Cocoa farmers ensure that the entire cocoa

industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

is supplied with the raw material (cocoa beans). The chocolate confectionery market generate annually about $80 Billion worldwide. Cocoa farmers play a crucial role as

producers Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

and maintenance of cocoa production. Unfortunately, cocoa farmers are underrepresented in the international round table discussions on issues concerning their profession because they were unable to represent themselves as a single voice. In June 2014 during the World Cocoa Conference, that took place in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

, cocoa farmers from eleven producing countries met at the side line of this conference and agreed to establish an international cocoa farmers organization. In December 2014 an independent and

transparent Transparency, transparence or transparent most often refer to: * Transparency (optics), the physical property of allowing the transmission of light through a material They may also refer to: Literal uses * Transparency (photography), a still, ...

cocoa farmers organization with the name International Cocoa Farmers Organization (ICCFO) was established in the Netherlands by an

interim An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities. Interim may also refer to: Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept) *Provis ...

Board led by Warren Sako.

Emergence of New Entity

As of 2014 the International CoCoa Farmers Organization(ICCFO)
http://www.cocoa-alliance.org/about-us-2/history/ International CoCoa Farmers Organization ICCFO] based in Lelystad, the fourth-largest city of the

, merged with the International CoCoa Farmers Organization (ICCFO) legally, with branch and regional head office for

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, in the Ivory Coast.

References

{{reflist Chocolate organizations Agricultural organisations based in the Netherlands