COPAL COCOA Info

A Weekly Newsletter of the Alliance of Cocoa Producing Countries

2

COCOA PRODUCERS’ ALLIANCE, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE,

P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234(0)1-263-5574 FAX: +234(0)1-263-5684

Email: Website: www.copal-cpa.org

Health and Nutrition
·  Cocoa, high nutrient content beneficial to consumers
Production and Quality
·  Cooperative enterprises, panacea for sustainable cocoa production - Solidaridad West Africa
The Market
·  Ivory Coast cocoa farmers say beans are too small to be sold
·  Sugar tumbles, cocoa jumps
·  Cocoa Gains as supply may be limited before expiry; Coffee Rises
· 
Processing and Manufacturing
·  / Business & Economy
·  Aid helps Bolivians to capitalise on cocoa crop
·  US Candy Maker Hershey Co. Signs Abidjan Cocoa Declaration
Labour Issues
· 
Environmental Issue
·  Ivory Coast rains brighten cocoa mid-crop
Research & Development
· 
Promotion & Consumption
·  Increasing certified organic cocoa production
Others
· 

In the News (from Newspapers worldwide)

ICCO Daily Cocoa Prices

ICCO Daily Price
(SDR/tonne) / ICCO Daily Price
($US/tonne) / London futures
(£/tonne) / New York futures
($US/tonne)
13th May / 1573.28 / 2358.23 / 1553.33 / 2344.67
14th May / 1588.51 / 2377.84 / 1571.67 / 2361
15th May / 1588.07 / 2366.77 / 1570.67 / 2348.33
16th May / 1558.36 / 2323.33 / 1534 / 2302.33
17th May / 1562.36 / 2330.01 / 1553.33 / 2305.67
Average / 1574.00 / 2351.00 / 1557.00 / 2332.00


International Financial Futures and Options Exchange (LIFFE)

London Futures Market – Summary of Trading Activities

(£ per tone)

Monday / 13th May / 2013
Month / Opening Trans / Settle / Change / High / Low / Volume
May2013 / 1533 / 1580 / 39 / 1585 / 1527S / 4,463
Jul2013 / 1523 / 1547 / 20 / 1549 / 1519 / 7,028
Sep2013 / 1531 / 1554 / 20 / 1555S / 1527 / 2,186
Dec2013 / 1537 / 1559 / 19 / 1560S / 1533S / 3,420
Mar2014 / 1535 / 1554 / 16 / 1556S / 1530S / 2,911
May2014 / 1534 / 1558 / 16 / 1558S / 1534S / 372
Jul2014 / 1559 / 1562 / 15 / 1559S / 1559S / 1
Sep2014 / 1555 / 1566 / 15 / 1555S / 1555S / 1
Dec2014 / 1566 / 15 / 0
Mar2015 / 1567 / 15 / 0
Average/Totals / 1561 / 20,382
Tuesday / 14th May / 2013
Month / Opening Trans / Settle / Change / High / Low / Volume
May2013 / 1586 / 1597 / 17 / 1600S / 1575 / 4,092
Jul2013 / 1553 / 1568 / 21 / 1569 / 1541S / 11,222
Sep2013 / 1557 / 1571 / 17 / 1573 / 1547 / 5,063
Dec2013 / 1566 / 1576 / 17 / 1578 / 1551S / 3,824
Mar2014 / 1560 / 1571 / 17 / 1574S / 1545S / 5,305
May2014 / 1565 / 1574 / 16 / 1577S / 1550S / 563
Jul2014 / 1567 / 1580 / 18 / 1579S / 1563S / 205
Sep2014 / 1569 / 1584 / 18 / 1583S / 1567S / 47
Dec2014 / 1577 / 1587 / 21 / 1587S / 1575S / 52
Mar2015 / 1588 / 21 / 0
Average/Totals / 1580 / 30,373
Wednesday / 15th May / 2013
Month / Opening Trans / Settle / Change / High / Low / Volume
May2013 / 1577 / 1569 / -28 / 1601 / 1569 / 1,197
Jul2013 / 1570 / 1566 / -2 / 1574 / 1558 / 8,444
Sep2013 / 1573 / 1572 / 1 / 1580S / 1561S / 5,594
Dec2013 / 1578 / 1574 / -2 / 1581S / 1565S / 2,425
Mar2014 / 1572 / 1568 / -3 / 1575S / 1558 / 2,161
May2014 / 1574 / 1570 / -4 / 1576S / 1560S / 374
Jul2014 / 1580 / 1576 / -4 / 1582S / 1566S / 153
Sep2014 / 1583 / 1582 / -2 / 1586S / 1574 / 58
Dec2014 / 1588 / 1 / 0
Mar2015 / 1588 / 0 / 0
Average/Totals / 1575 / 20,406
Thursday / 16th May / 2013
Month / Opening Trans / Settle / Change / High / Low / Volume
Jul2013 / 1557 / 1529 / -37 / 1559 / 1527 / 8,290
Sep2013 / 1564 / 1535 / -37 / 1564 / 1534S / 5,400
Dec2013 / 1562 / 1538 / -36 / 1564S / 1537S / 5,133
Mar2014 / 1558 / 1529 / -39 / 1558S / 1528S / 4,361
May2014 / 1555 / 1529 / -41 / 1557S / 1528S / 1,849
Jul2014 / 1551 / 1535 / -41 / 1556S / 1534S / 252
Sep2014 / 1560 / 1540 / -42 / 1565S / 1541S / 98
Dec2014 / 1544 / 1544 / -44 / 1544 / 1543S / 2
Mar2015 / 1541 / -47 / 0
May2015 / 1541 / 0
Average/Totals / 1536 / 25,385
Friday / 17th May / 2013
Month / Opening Trans / Settle / Change / High / Low / Volume
Jul2013 / 1524 / 1549 / 20 / 1555 / 1521 / 5,652
Sep2013 / 1532 / 1555 / 20 / 1561S / 1528S / 2,817
Dec2013 / 1535 / 1556 / 18 / 1561S / 1530 / 1,949
Mar2014 / 1530 / 1548 / 19 / 1553S / 1522S / 2,825
May2014 / 1529 / 1549 / 20 / 1554 / 1525S / 1,348
Jul2014 / 1533 / 1554 / 19 / 1556S / 1533S / 329
Sep2014 / 1546 / 1559 / 19 / 1562S / 1546S / 107
Dec2014 / 1562 / 18 / 0
Mar2015 / 1560 / 19 / 0
May2015 / 1560 / 19 / 0
Average/Totals / 1556 / 15,027
Average for the week / 1555 / 2732
2732


New York Board of Trade

(New York Futures Market – Summary of Trading Activities)

(US$ per tone)

Monday / 13th May / 2013
Month / Opening Trans / Settle / Change / High / Low / Volume
May2013 / 2265 / 2315 / 17 / 2334 / 2265 / 21
Jul2013 / 2295 / 2326 / 26 / 2342 / 2286 / 14,693
Sep2013 / 2308 / 2334 / 26 / 2349 / 2296 / 4,886
Dec2013 / 2308 / 2343 / 25 / 2352 / 2308 / 2,737
Mar2014 / 2315 / 2349 / 23 / 2359 / 2315 / 1,554
May2014 / 2332 / 2353 / 23 / 2353 / 2331 / 143
Jul2014 / 2333 / 2357 / 22 / 2344 / 2333 / 63
Sep2014 / 0 / 2361 / 22 / 0 / 0 / 1
Dec2014 / 0 / 2369 / 22 / 0 / 0 / 0
Mar2015 / 2350 / 2376 / 22 / 2350 / 2350 / 5
Average/Totals / 2348 / 24,103
Tuesday / 14th May / 2013
Month / Opening Trans / Settle / Change / High / Low / Volume
May2013 / 2323 / 2342 / 27 / 2324 / 2323 / 10
Jul2013 / 2334 / 2353 / 27 / 2360 / 2318 / 18,842
Sep2013 / 2348 / 2358 / 24 / 2364 / 2326 / 8,777
Dec2013 / 2356 / 2363 / 20 / 2369 / 2333 / 3,460
Mar2014 / 2358 / 2368 / 19 / 2368 / 2340 / 1,841
May2014 / 2350 / 2372 / 19 / 2372 / 2350 / 364
Jul2014 / 2356 / 2376 / 19 / 2377 / 2355 / 346
Sep2014 / 2380 / 2379 / 18 / 2384 / 2373 / 16
Dec2014 / 2387 / 2387 / 18 / 2387 / 2387 / 5
Mar2015 / 2394 / 2395 / 19 / 2394 / 2394 / 18
Average/Totals / 2369 / 33,679
Wednesday / 15th May / 2013
Month / Opening Trans / Settle / Change / High / Low / Volume
May2013 / 0 / 2333 / -9 / 0 / 0 / 0
Jul2013 / 2353 / 2344 / -9 / 2364 / 2335 / 12,141
Sep2013 / 2357 / 2350 / -8 / 2369 / 2340 / 3,441
Dec2013 / 2362 / 2356 / -7 / 2372 / 2345 / 1,739
Mar2014 / 2376 / 2360 / -8 / 2376 / 2347 / 933
May2014 / 2373 / 2365 / -7 / 2380 / 2353 / 83
Jul2014 / 2376 / 2371 / -5 / 2385 / 2356 / 89
Sep2014 / 2379 / 2375 / -4 / 2384 / 2362 / 51
Dec2014 / 2379 / 2383 / -4 / 2393 / 2379 / 3
Mar2015 / 0 / 2391 / -4 / 0 / 0 / 0
Average/Totals / 2363 / 18,480
Thursday / 16th May / 2013
Month / Opening Trans / Settle / Change / High / Low / Volume
May2013 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Jul2013 / 2347 / 2294 / -50 / 2352 / 2292 / 14,860
Sep2013 / 2352 / 2301 / -49 / 2353 / 2299 / 4,384
Dec2013 / 2360 / 2307 / -49 / 2360 / 2305 / 1,627
Mar2014 / 2336 / 2313 / -47 / 2340 / 2310 / 1,670
May2014 / 2330 / 2316 / -49 / 2337 / 2314 / 201
Jul2014 / 2347 / 2322 / -49 / 2347 / 2341 / 31
Sep2014 / 2344 / 2327 / -48 / 2351 / 2343 / 49
Dec2014 / 2352 / 2335 / -48 / 2352 / 2352 / 2
Mar2015 / 0 / 2342 / -49 / 0 / 0 / 0
Average/Totals / 2086 / 22,824
Friday / 17th May / 2013
Month / Opening Trans / Settle / Change / High / Low / Volume
May2013 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Jul2013 / 2294 / 2300 / 6 / 2317 / 2276 / 11,199
Sep2013 / 2299 / 2307 / 6 / 2324 / 2282 / 2,463
Dec2013 / 2305 / 2312 / 5 / 2328 / 2288 / 1,261
Mar2014 / 2316 / 2317 / 4 / 2330 / 2293 / 1,000
May2014 / 2316 / 2321 / 5 / 2334 / 2316 / 237
Jul2014 / 2337 / 2326 / 4 / 2338 / 2327 / 44
Sep2014 / 2340 / 2330 / 3 / 2341 / 2331 / 61
Dec2014 / 2345 / 2338 / 3 / 2345 / 2340 / 12
Mar2015 / 0 / 2345 / 3 / 0 / 0 / 13
Average/Totals / 2090 / 16,290
Average for the week / 2090 / 2962
2962

News

3

ALLIANCE OF COCOA PRODUCING COUNTRIES, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX,

TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE, P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234-70-9814-1735; +234-70-9814-1736;

FAX: +234-1-290-4262 Email: Website: www.copal-cpa.org

3

ALLIANCE OF COCOA PRODUCING COUNTRIES, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX,

TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE, P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234-70-9814-1735; +234-70-9814-1736;

FAX: +234-1-290-4262 Email: Website: www.copal-cpa.org

3

ALLIANCE OF COCOA PRODUCING COUNTRIES, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX,

TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE, P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234-70-9814-1735; +234-70-9814-1736;

FAX: +234-1-290-4262 Email: Website: www.copal-cpa.org

3

ALLIANCE OF COCOA PRODUCING COUNTRIES, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY COMPLEX,

TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE, P.O. BOX 1718, LAGOS, NIGERIA. TEL: +234-70-9814-1735; +234-70-9814-1736;

FAX: +234-1-290-4262 Email: Website: www.copal-cpa.org

Cocoa, high nutrient content beneficial to consumers

The Guardian Nigeria

By Kehinde Olatunji - Agro Care,

12 May 2013

TO reap the real nutritional value of most cocoa beverages, it is better to take them without milk. The correct drinking of unsweetened cocoa beverages can help in the prevention of Malaria, high blood pressure, diabetes, fatigue and stress.

Dr. Olayiwola Olubamiwa, a cocoa expert at Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Ibadan who dropped the hint yesterday at a media forum for the launching of a Jingle for a new cocoa beverage, “Oluji Pure Cocoa Powder” also said that most cocoa beverages in the market contain less than 10 per cent of the cocoa powder that are a rich source of flavanols required by the body for good health.

According to Dr. Olubamiwa and other experts at the venue of the launching, the regular intake of cocoa beverage does a lot of good to the since its richness in antioxidants helps to fight disease factors in the body.

But, he warned that the intake of cocoa in the beverage form cannot ensure that these health benefits of cocoa are enjoyed.

His words: “Cocoa powder has a higher amount of the antioxidants even in comparison with dark chocolate, and so makes it the best cocoa form that people should take as part of their diet.”

He added that: “The best cocoa powder to take is that made by milling dried cocoa bean from which the cocoa butter has been extracted. It is necessary to caution against intake of cocoa with milk as this lowers the potency of cocoa. The culprit in milk is a group of proteins called caseins that interact with cocoa decreasing the concentration of the polyphenols. In addition, sugar or honey should be used in mild quantities for best effects. Some take it that a cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole day without food.”

He added that a cup of cocoa also keeps the doctor away. “A cup of cocoa is rich in antioxidants that help combat free radicals, which have been linked to diseases like cancer, heart disease and stroke” he said, thus, suggesting that cocoa is a better healthy drink.

Given that most people are suffering from health challenges Dr. Olubamiwa said if people consciously increase their cocoa intake, it will help to also lower their blood pressure.

The ability of the antioxidant flavanols in cocoa to promote nitric oxide production in the body to make the body produce more of the hormone insulin, he said, has made cocoa consumption helpful in preventing diabetes. He declared that the insulin produced after ingestion of cocoa powder was more active and, hence, better at preventing high blood glucose levels that precede or indicate diabetes.

Quite unlike what many may realise, several ingredients in the cocoa powder beverage such as pentameric procyanidin and theobromine also arrest breast cancer and persistent coughs respectively. Theobromine, he said, has been found to be a more effective cough medicine than traditional remedies and without side effects. In addition, theobromine, a stimulant in cocoa ensures that body muscles are stimulated and, thus, making it a nature’s version of Viagra (sex enhancing drug).

Another study also hints that eating chocolate which is mainly from cocoa may boost brain function. In the study, the volunteers that consumed chocolate recipes got stimulating effect, which led to increased mental performance.

Magnesium which has healing effect on a range of diseases as well as its ability to rejuvenate the ageing body and to alleviate bronchial asthma, pre or post-menstrual syndrome, anxiety, insomnia, migraine and hardening of the blood vessels with age among others Dr. Olubamiwa, said cocoa is the highest source of magnesium.

He also pointed out that the fact that Nigeria is a malaria endemic region therefore mothers should serve their children cocoa drink to protect them from malaria. According to him, there is anecdotal report that daily intake of pure cocoa beverage reduces the frequency of malaria by a Ghanaian expert, who stated that flavanols in cocoa retard life cycle of malaria parasite as well as boost body immunity to ward off malaria symptoms.

Mr. Akin Olusuyi, Managing Director/CEO, cocoa products (Ile-Oluji) limited earlier in his speech called on the governments of cocoa producing states and the federal government to take active interests in cocoa for both economic and citizen welfare reasons.

“The general wellbeing of Nigerians can take a turn for the better if they are properly educated and mobilised to cultivate the cocoa eating habit. This will impact positively not only on the general health of the citizens but also that of the nation. After all a nation is as healthy as her citizens. On the economic side, this will encourage value addition to our cocoa and expand the local processing capacity with its attendant employment generation and increase in revenue and GDP.” He said.