A decade after rubber was heavily promoted as a goldmine for Ivory Coast’s cocoa-dependent economy, planters are under pressure to address criticism that they are damaging the environment and weakening the country’s ability to feed itself.
The association is seeking to show that the rubber industry can meet mounting demands for sustainability, both for the environment and its producers. The Ivorian government invested 40 million euros to promote production, leading to the creation of 110,000 hectares of new plantations. “The planters let themselves be lured by quick gains, abandoning the growing of food crops,” said Jean-Baptiste Koffi, president of the Federal Union of Ivory Coast Consumers, active since 2012.