BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Members of the Cocoa Industry Committee, along with government officials and relevant stakeholders held their first meeting for this year 2025.

The meeting was convened Friday last week in the Board Room of the Commodity Export Management Authority.

A statement from the Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SICCI) said that the meeting is to address key issues impacting the cocoa sector.

The SICCI statement said that the agendas of the meeting include discussions on achievements for the year 2024, a market report presented by CEMA, deliberations regarding the calendar year 2025, and insights from the Amsterdam Cocoa Week held from February 4 to 9, 2025.

The SICCI said in the statement that a pressing issue highlighted during the meeting was the EU Deforestation Regulation.

It adds that the European Union is implementing measures to reduce the risk of products linked to deforestation entering its market and to promote the demand for products that are free from deforestation.

The statement further said that according to the measures, producers and exporters of cocoa, coffee, oil palm, coconut, and cattle have 317 days remaining to comply with this regulation, indicating that further consultations are necessary to establish common ground that will assist local exporters in adapting to the new requirements.

For feedback, contact: [email protected]