Rethink the Organic Cocoa Value Chain of Sao Tome and Principe

Abstract

Cocoa is an important commodity in the economy of Sao Tome and Principe (STP) for ensuring subsistence, creating employment, developing local microeconomics and contributing to the GDP and image of the country. Thus, due to the monopoly/concentration of power in the international cocoa value chains as well as the overall price decay, the STP cocoa has been losing space in the international markets. As a result, as the country is unable to compete in quantitative terms or to invest in other economies of scale and production and producer income have been declining. This paper aims to characterize and rethink the value chain of organic cocoa in STP, identifying its weaknesses and potentialities while proposing ways to create value and improve its sustainability and international image. The results suggest that rethinking the value chain involves the creation of a PGI with effective official control and a collective promotion component that will enable it to gain efficiency or scale, in a strategic and operational articulation with tourism, coffee. and gastronomy, among other key sectors.