Many of the "slaves" of the twenty-first century survive by harvesting cocoa, and many of them are children. According to a report presented on "Fairtrade Day", 10 May, nearly 300,000 children are victims of exploitation in an industry that continues to grow.
To counter this, the project "a nursery for cocoa plantations" has been started in the Philippines. They have already found the ground and have started preparations for the construction of the nursery. The climatic conditions and soil characteristics in the Philippines are favourable to this type of crop and in the area there is a growing interest among local farmers, because the local and international demand for cocoa products is high.
The project will begin with an "organic cocoa plantation" in Ginatilan, Cebu. There are also plans to train agricultural technicians on the cocoa crop, so they can manage the nursery. At the same time, it will serve to motivate local farmers in the cocoa plantation to treat all workers humanely."
The nursery will be built on an area of 500 m² in Cebu. It is expected that it can accommodate 200 cocoa plants that will bear fruit in a short time. They will also build a house with dormitories, kitchen and toilet facilities for staff.
The implementation of this project, the "nursery for cocoa plantation", will be a small step to reverse the social situation of "slaves of the twenty-first century", who currently number thousands.
