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Nestlé and Ivorian government partner for the sustainable development of green coffee

Abidjan, November 17th, 2014 

The Minister of Agriculture, His Excellency M. Mamadou Sangafowa COULIBALY, and the Country Manager of Nestlé Côte d’Ivoire, M. Mauricio ALARCON, have signed a memorandum of understanding for the sustainable development of Côte d’Ivoire’s green coffee, as part of the implementation of the Nescafé Plan.

The Nescafé Plan is Nestlé’s global initiative that aims at ensuring the sustainable supply of coffee. It contributes to solve the main economic, social and environmental challenges faced by the coffee producing communities working with Nestlé.

Through this program, Nestlé aims at promoting:

  • Responsible farming, by helping farmers increase their revenues and the quality of their harvest, while preserving natural resources;
  • The responsible production of coffee, by reducing the environmental footprint of the industrial processes used for the transformation of coffee into finished products, specifically in Nescafé factories ;
  • The responsible consumption of coffee, by helping consumers and coffee vendors learn about the coffee sector’s issues and opportunities for the country, and informing them on the responsible use of product packaging.

In Côte d’Ivoire, the Nescafé Plan is in line with the scope of the National Agriculture Investment Program (PNIA) initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture. It is also part of the strategic pillars of the Public-Private Partnership Platform introduced by the National Coffee and Cocoa Council for the revival of the coffee sector.

“Meeting the challenges that coffee farmers are facing requires a collaborative approach”, explained Mauricio ALARCÓN, Country Manager of Nestlé Côte d’Ivoire. He added: “Our commitment aims at creating value throughout the supply chain, from the bean to the cup. To achieve this, we must ensure we contribute to the economic and social development of farming communities, while preserving the country’s resources for future generations.” 

The Minister of Agriculture, Mamadou Sangafowa COULIBALY, explained: “The Nescafé Plan participates to the enhancement of the productivity, the competitiveness and to the development of the coffee cluster in Ivory Coast. It also serves as a capacity-building platform which will contribute to the development of a new generation of farmers, technically skilled, able to undertake successful farming projects and to meet the challenges of the sector.”

By 2022, Nestlé has committed to train 30 000 farmers in good agricultural practices in order to ensure a supply of green coffee 100% compliant with the 4C (Common Code of Coffee Community) minimum sustainability norms. These tackle issues such as human rights, deforestation, and compliance with coffee quality criteria.  Nestlé will also distribute 27 million high yield plantlets to farmers.

By the end of 2014, over 1 800 000 plantlets would have been distributed and over 13 000 farmers trained in Côte d’Ivoire.

Thanks to Ivorian coffee, over 5 million cups of coffee are served every day in Central and Western Africa.