US chocolate manufacturer Hershey has expanded its Learn to Grow program to Nigeria in partnership with IDH and Source Trust to train farmers to grow certified cocoa, which will be used by Hershey in its products worldwide.
The Hershey Learn to Grow program, which was originated in Ghana in 2012, will provide 20,000 cocoa farmers in Nigeria with advanced training in order to improve the quality of their cocoa, while doubling productivity and increasing farmer income by 30%.
It will also focus on business and finance training for farmers so they will be able to access credit to improve their farms.
The program will employ computerized tracking of cocoa through the entire supply chain which will provide farmers with precise information about the size of their farms, age of cocoa trees and ability to use fertilizers to increase production.
Hershey stated that it is committed to use 100% certified cocoa in its products worldwide by 2020. The percentage of certified cocoa will exceed 10% this year and increase between 40 and 50% by 2016.
Hershey Chief Supply Chain Officer senior vice president Terry O'Day said: "We believe cocoa farming in Nigeria will benefit greatly from modernization programs that help increase incomes, improve communities, reduce child labor and assure long-term supply."
Hershey Learn to Grow Nigeria is part of programs and initiatives that comprise the company's 21st Century CocoaSustainability Plan, which is the roadmap helping cocoa communities worldwide to grow sustainable cocoa for the next century.