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Ivory Coast’s cocoa regulator says the world’s top cocoa producer is ready for new EU anti-deforestation rules, but exporters and buyers warn a compliance system due to launch next month could disrupt bean purchases and exports.The EU’s anti-deforestation law, which takes effect at the end of December, requires companies to show that commodities including cocoa are not linked to deforestation.Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC) head Yves Brahima Kone said digital ID cards issued to farmers would ensure compliance from the start of the 2026/27 cocoa season on September 1.Introduced in 2019, the cards serve as electronic wallets and are designed to track cocoa from farms to export ports, verify its origin and help farmers receive the state-guaranteed price.“We are ready to prove that our cocoa is traceable and certified ... The producer card is up and running and meets all the expectations of chocolate consumers,” Kone said, adding that the system had been tested for two years.The cards will also give more than one million small-scale producers access to the banking system for the first time, he said. The regulator estimates Ivory Coast has 1.2-million to 1.3-million cocoa farmers.We are ready to prove that our cocoa is traceable and certified ... The producer card is up and running and meets all the expectations of chocolate consumers.— Yves Brahima Kone, Coffee and Cocoa Council (CCC) head Industry sources said the rollout could create bottlenecks as the new season begins. Farmers who have not received their cards, or who have lost them, may be unable to sell cocoa, potentially slowing purchases, sources said. They also cited a shortage of card terminals.Even if administrative issues were resolved, industry participants questioned how effective the system would be in preventing cocoa grown illegally in protected areas entering the supply chain.Ivory Coast estimates cocoa produced in protected forests and national parks accounts for 15% of national output. Exporters and European environmental groups put the figure at about 30%.Illegally produced cocoa can still be shipped to the ports of Abidjan and San Pedro and mixed with legally produced beans, partly because individual farmers’ output can only be estimated, rather than precisely measured.“We know the benefits of the card, but make no mistake: there will be a lot of problems, and it’s going to be chaos this season. The new European regulation on deforestation is too complex and difficult to implement on the ground,” said the director of a European export company based in Abidjan.“There will be delays in purchasing, in exports, and throughout the entire supply chain. That’s undeniable,” said an executive from another European export company.Reuters
