2024-03-06 23:33:41
The new European RDUE standards, concerning the import of certain products from Africa such as cocoa or coffee, will apply from January 1. Objective: fight against deforestation and improve production conditions (better remuneration for producers, fight against child labor, etc.). In Ivory Coast, to meet these demands, the rubber industry is getting into battle gear.
Traceability is one of the major challenges of this reform. And for this, the geolocation of plantations is underway to ensure that they do not encroach on forests or protected areas. “ This involves taking, for example, the GPS and going around the plantation to get exactly these measurements, explains Isabelle Billon, project manager at the African Rubber Plantation Society. This plantation then appears on software in the form of a polygon. » A long-term and expensive job. However, today, “ all our planters have been geolocated “. Once this work has been carried out on all the plantations, the challenge will be to create a common and harmonized database across the entire territory.
Other concerns for traceability: ensuring that rubber that is not durable is mixed with rubber that meets standards. A risk when intermediaries multiply, concedes the association of rubber professionals. In this area, the African Rubber Plantation Company explains that it has chosen to buy directly from the planter. “ Thanks to direct purchasing from the grower, it allows us to know exactly who is delivering to us. », assures Isabelle Billon. The other strategy for the company is to determine a delivery potential per plantation. “ We know, for example, that a planter who has four hectares will provide us with 4 000 tonnes per hectare, specifies the project manager. And if ever a planter exceeds this production potential, it is an alert for us and we will therefore carry out an inspection to see if there has been any fraud at his level. »
Standards that are sources of opportunities
And when there is doubt, production will leave for less careful destinations, specifies the association of rubber professionals. Because the European market today only represents 20% of Ivorian exports. But if these new standards are bindingthe association wants to see it as an opportunity.
« Taking into account the fact that geo-referencing, therefore accompanied by traceability, will be practically impossible for certain large producers of natural rubber, obviously this will offer Côte d’Ivoire an opportunity to expand its market share in Europedefends his vice-president Lamine Sanogo. The second aspect is that the European market is more profitable. And with all the efforts that are made, obviously, this rubber will have a certain valuation, so we can expect a premium that will help us cover all the efforts that are made. »
When these new standards are applied, a quality bonus should be released, from which the planters hope to benefit. The association of rubber professionals also ensures that part of its production already corresponds to the new European standards.
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