Bogotá, November 25, 2023 – On the World Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and 7 years after the signing of the Peace Agreement, cocoa producers and associations of Arauca ratify their commitment to peace by signing the "Araucan Commitment for a Cocoa Sector at the Service of Life Care and Territorial Peace". This agreement, signed by the Araucanian cooperatives COOPCACAO, COOMPROCAR, ASPAS, CHOCOFORTUL, AMCESAR, as well as by FEDECACAO and PASO Colombia, a program of One Earth Future, was materialized during the Chocoshow fair in Bogota on November 25, 2023.
With 6,000 cocoa growing families and a total of 17,000 hectares dedicated to the crop, Arauca is the second largest cocoa producer in Colombia, according to the National Federation of Cocoa Growers (Federación Nacional de Cacaoteros). The department has twice received the Cacao Awards at the Paris Chocolate Salon.
This agreement reaffirms the region's commitment to building peace and preserving life, supporting the implementation of the peace agreements in force and those under negotiation.
The strategic commitments of Araucanian cocoa producers and associations for the 2024-2026 period include:
Generation of Decent Income: Create decent income opportunities as an alternative to illicit economies.
Colombian-Venezuelan Integration: Position the cocoa sector as a platform for Colombian-Venezuelan integration in terms of peace, linking enterprises, initiatives and workers who are victims of the armed conflict, signatories of agreements, migrants from Venezuela, returnees and other inhabitants of host territories.
Conservation and Restoration of Ecosystems: Contribute to the conservation and restoration of ecosystems through a model of 5,000 hectares under an Agroforestry System with a regenerative approach in the department's cocoa crops.
Gender Equity: Commit to empowering and positioning gender equity and women as protagonists in the sector's value chain.
Production of High-Quality Cocoa: Consolidate as the first department in production of high-quality cocoa at the national level.
Fine and Aroma Cocoa: Consolidate a line of fine and aromatic cocoa products that showcase the quality, tradition and history of the Araucanian model.
"A Chocolate for Peace and Reconciliation": Contribute to the realization of "Un Chocolate por la Paz y la Reconciliación" in the coming days, an event that seeks to promote dialogue and sign an Araucanian pact for the care of life and coexistence.
Symbol of Peace and Reconciliation: To help establish a symbol of peace and reconciliation that identifies the population, promoting a tendency to care for life, freedom of movement and thought.
At the same event, the three cocoa farmers with the best quality of dry cocoa production in the department of Arauca were awarded. The winners were:
- First place: Hugo Castro Guerrero of Arauquita.
- Second place: Clodomiro Moreno of Saravena
- Third place: Martha Alvarado Ortiz of Fortul.
Since 2021 PASO Colombia, the IDB Lab of the Inter-American Development Bank Group and FEDECACAO have been working with cocoa cooperatives in Arauca to improve crops, provide technical training and generate employment for Venezuelan migrants and the host population in this border region.
The commitment signed will not only strengthen the cocoa sector in Arauca but will also make a significant contribution to building an environment of peace and reconciliation in the region.
