Fairtrade Statement on Cocoa Market Collapse
Fairtrade calls for government-business action to protect cocoa farmers' household income
March 11, 2026 /3BL/ - "The volatility in cocoa prices must end. Market prices are rapidly plunging towards levels that are known by all market actors to be unsustainable for cocoa farmers and their families.
"With many families reliant on cocoa as their primary source of income, the real-life impacts of declining cocoa prices could lead to less food on the table and poorer access to education, healthcare, and decent housing. Past progress on household income could also be eroded.
"Traders, chocolate, and retail businesses should work with governments and commit to long-term contracts with cooperatives and their members. Commitments and sustainability programs must recognize the human right to a living income and commit to supporting prices that contribute to a living income regardless of declines in market price.
"There is a fairer way of doing business that does not solely rely on price being established by supply and demand. Businesses and governments must choose to work together, some businesses already do, but many more must.
"Furthermore, Fairtrade encourages commercial partners ensure cocoa farmers receive, as a minimum, the Fairtrade Minimum Price that acts a safety net during market downturns allowing farmers to cover the cost of production, and the Fairtrade Premium that can be used to support social, economic, or environmental projects of their choice.
"We welcome the growing number of commercial partnerships with cooperatives in our Fairtrade Living Income Program."
