Mars Efforts to Develop the Cocoa Sector in the World Through Science

August 2023—Cocoa is the main livelihood for around 500 million farmers worldwide, including 350,000 farming families who supply cocoa beans to Mars Wrigley. However, farmers said that their crops are currently vulnerable to pests and diseases and are affected by erratic climate change.

In response to this, Mars Wrigley is building a commitment to creating a stronger, more modern, and sustainable cocoa supply chain for future generations of cocoa farmers. One form of this commitment is conducting research on how best to protect cocoa plants.

One form of research that has been developed is the acceleration of plant breeding. This research was carried out together with the University of California, Davis, United States to create cocoa seed varieties that are resistant to pest attacks and the effects of climate change with high productivity.

For more than forty years, Mars has worked with farmers around the world, including in Indonesia. During this period, more than 60,000 farmers have applied agroforestry techniques in their cultivation practices, and 132,000 farmers have attended training and understand forest protection regulations. Mars has invested around US$1 billion to build a cocoa supply chain model that focuses on smallholder cocoa farmers.

Mars Wrigley's initiatives and efforts are to achieve a deforestation-free and forest-conversion-free cocoa supply chain by 2025. With the hope that farmers' yields will be better, and a more sustainable and profitable cocoa ecosystem that will benefit farming communities and ecosystems environment. (CSP/AV)