Solidaridad West Africa kicks off cocoa programme in south-east Liberia

Solidaridad has commenced the process of nursing 700,000 cocoa seedlings in Grand Gedeh and River Gee counties in the south-east of Liberia, where Solidaridad West Africa is implementing the Cocoa Value Chain Development Programme (COVADEP).

The action will give cocoa farmers improved planting materials that will maximize yields and improve their livelihoods.

COVADEP is a four-year programme funded by the European Union in Liberia. According to Solidaridad West Africa, the programme is building on the gains made by the Liberia Cocoa Sector Improvement Programme (LICSIP) by extending the Centres for Cocoa Development (CCDs) model, which is a one-stop-shop of small and medium enterprises that drive sector production improvements within the supply chains of private cocoa companies and producers, as well as organizations.

It also seeks to promote value addition through the transformation of cocoa beans into processed products for local consumption and job creation for #households in Liberia.

The Mahmorie Multipurpose Agriculture Corporation and the Sustainable Agriculture Programme are two local organizations, mainly made up of #women, that are sowing the cocoa beans.