Cocoa bean plantations guarantee the livelihoods of almost the entire village of N’gattakro in central Ivory Coast. And the “brown gold” as cocoa gets called in Ivory Coast, is not only crucial for survival in this village: an estimated 6 million people in the country rely on farming and harvesting cocoa for their livelihoods.
But this year, the farmers worry that they might not be able to sell enough of their produce.
They fear the looming effects of the 21% tariffs on Ivory Coast exports to the United States, imposed by US president Donald Trump in early April.
Salif Traoré, one of the cocoa farmers in the village, explains: “The price isn’t good. If we hear the American president came to put a tax on the price of cocoa, it’s really not good for us, it doesn’t help us.”
Cocoa is Ivory Coast’s main export to the United States.
Like Traoré, the tariff news has left many farmers in confusion during an already difficult season due to unfavourable weather conditions.
“You see, this stockroom is full. Donald Trump’s customs tax is causing us problems. Because of this, people can’t buy our products. We are already feeling the effects, so if there’s a solution to this problem, we’d be happy,” Boss Diarra, cocoa farmers’ union coordinator, said.
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