Strike stops Ivory Coast cocoa exports

ABIDJAN – Warehouses of leading cocoa exporters in Ivory Coast ports were closed yesterday in anticipation of further strike action by cocoa farmers who are demanding a higher, guaranteed price for their beans.

“We are not working today. The unions have been around all the factories this morning to see if all the exporters’ warehouses were closed,” said a salesman for a leading US exporter in the economic capital Abidjan.Farmers in the world’s top cocoa grower went on strike more than two weeks ago to demand a higher price for their beans as the 2004/05 season kicked off, setting up roadblocks to stop deliveries reaching ports in Abidjan and San Pedro.Union representatives met economy and finance ministry officials on Tuesday but were still in disagreement over a government proposal to fund cocoa cooperatives with a loan carrying an interest rate of 10 per cent.”For the moment we are closed and have been since yesterday.All the other cocoa packing plants in San Pedro seem to be in the same situation.We are waiting for things to calm down,” said a warehouse worker at a leading UK exporter in San Pedro.However while most exporters were shut, buyers and farmers elsewhere in the said there were few roadblocks blocking deliveries across the West African country.Independent buyer Ali Koutayer, also based in San Pedro, said he had been able to carry on working yesterday.In the eastern town of Abengourou, where farmers were most militant during the previous five-day strike action, blocking traffic and burning beans, the police clamped down hard on attempts to disrupt deliveries on Tuesday.”We blocked the roads yesterday and the police tear gassed us at one of the roadblocks.We called on the village people of the Abengourou region to come in their droves to keep up the strike,” said Arrison Aby, a worker at the Coopaai cooperative.”We are meeting this morning to decide what to do next.”In Soubre in the south west, Yao Koffi, secretary general of Ecaso cooperative, said no lorries had tried to leave the town though farmers had not yet put up any roadblocks.In the western cocoa town of Duekoue, Charlemagne Panou, manager of exporting cooperative Sifca-Coop, said he saw no sign of the strike so far and he was open for business.Union leaders had said the strike would resume again on Monday this week but there was no sign of it until late morning on Tuesday when exporters began closing under their orders.Strike leader Joseph Oulai Tchelan told Reuters earlier this week that lorries and warehouses taking deliveries during the strike would be burned.-Nampa-ReutersThe unions have been around all the factories this morning to see if all the exporters’ warehouses were closed,” said a salesman for a leading US exporter in the economic capital Abidjan.Farmers in the world’s top cocoa grower went on strike more than two weeks ago to demand a higher price for their beans as the 2004/05 season kicked off, setting up roadblocks to stop deliveries reaching ports in Abidjan and San Pedro.Union representatives met economy and finance ministry officials on Tuesday but were still in disagreement over a government proposal to fund cocoa cooperatives with a loan carrying an interest rate of 10 per cent.”For the moment we are closed and have been since yesterday.All the other cocoa packing plants in San Pedro seem to be in the same situation.We are waiting for things to calm down,” said a warehouse worker at a leading UK exporter in San Pedro.However while most exporters were shut, buyers and farmers elsewhere in the said there were few roadblocks blocking deliveries across the West African country.Independent buyer Ali Koutayer, also based in San Pedro, said he had been able to carry on working yesterday.In the eastern town of Abengourou, where farmers were most militant during the previous five-day strike action, blocking traffic and burning beans, the police clamped down hard on attempts to disrupt deliveries on Tuesday.”We blocked the roads yesterday and the police tear gassed us at one of the roadblocks.We called on the village people of the Abengourou region to come in their droves to keep up the strike,” said Arrison Aby, a worker at the Coopaai cooperative.”We are meeting this morning to decide what to do next.”In Soubre in the south west, Yao Koffi, secretary general of Ecaso cooperative, said no lorries had tried to leave the town though farmers had not yet put up any roadblocks.In the western cocoa town of Duekoue, Charlemagne Panou, manager of exporting cooperative Sifca-Coop, said he saw no sign of the strike so far and he was open for business.Union leaders had said the strike would resume again on Monday this week but there was no sign of it until late morning on Tuesday when exporters began closing under their orders.Strike leader Joseph Oulai Tchelan told Reuters earlier this week that lorries and warehouses taking deliveries during the strike would be burned.-Nampa-Reuters