Fair Trade USA, a non-profit organization setting standards, certifying and labeling products and contributing to the sustainability of livelihoods of farmers and workers, will increase the minimum price and fixed premium that companies must pay cocoa farmers as part of their certification system, the organization said in a statement. Tuesday, June 11th.

The increase is intended to increase livelihoods in a sector that has long struggled with farmers' poverty, child labor and deforestation (converting forest land into land without tree cover).

A non-profit organization will increase its minimum price for regular cocoa from $ 2,000 to $ 2,400 per ton. For organic cocoa, the price will be $ 300 higher than this minimum or higher than the market price, depending on what price is higher at a given moment.

The premium, which is used to finance public projects, will increase to $ 200 per ton. The new pricing structure will enter into force on October 1, 2019.

A 20% price increase puts Fair Trade USA in line with the minimums set in December by European Fairtrade International, and these recently announced minimums will affect US brands and manufacturers.

According to a Fair Trade press release, more than 22,000 tons of cocoa beans were sold by certified cocoa farmers in 2018. According to the International Cocoa Organization, around 4.8 million tons of cocoa were produced worldwide.

Representatives from Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, the world's leading cocoa producers, meet in Accra, Ghana's capital on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 11-12, to discuss the income of farmers. Both countries are working to better harmonize their pricing systems.