Cadbury to launch 44 mln stg investment programme in Ghana

Cadbury Schweppes (NYSE:CSG) PLC will tomorrow launch a 44 mln stg investment into Ghana's cocoa industry, according to a report in the Sunday Telegraph citing a Cadbury executive.

The report says Cadbury, which imports 70 pct of its cocoa beans from Ghana, is aiming to help an industry faced with falling crop yields and a dwindling number of farmers.

The investment follows a Cadbury-commissioned report from the universities of Sussex and Accra which showed that the average crop production for a cocoa farmer in Ghana has dropped to only 40 pct of its potential yield. The report also highlighted a trend of cocoa farming becoming less attractive to the next potential generation of farmers.

'This is an investment in our future as well as that of the cocoa farmers. There is a growing understanding that if you want a sustainable supply chain, investing in more than just the factories is necessary,' Alex Cole, a director in corporate social responsibility at Cadbury is quoted as saying.

tf.TFN-Europe_newsdesk@thomson.com Copyright Thomson Financial News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.

The copying, republication or redistribution of Thomson Financial News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Financial News.