Cocoa harvest in a state of emergency

To stem the spread of the Coronavirus, the government of the Dominican Republic closed all borders in mid-March and declared a state of emergency. This involves measures such as a night-time curfew and further restrictions on freedom of movement.

Beat Wiederkehr, CEO of our subsidiary YACAO, reports how he and his employees have found the situation in the country:

For us at YACAO, too, the health of our employees is a top priority. As early as three weeks before quarantine was introduced, we brought in a doctor who gave our staff extensive training. People with health problems and employees over 60 are allowed to stay at home without loss of pay. In Santo Domingo, where the risk of infection is highest, we are working from home. In the five processing centres, work is carried out in strict compliance with safety measures. Fortunately, we have even been able to hire additional staff.

We procured enough masks before their prices soared and equipped all employees with them. Our processing centres are equipped with disinfection stations. All employees who take deliveries of cocoa from the smallholders work with additional protective equipment, such as goggles and gloves. At the beginning of May, we held a motivation seminar. This was very much appreciated and well attended.

Thanks to the exemplary behaviour and commitment of our employees in the centres, the purchase and processing of cocoa has been able to continue seamlessly. In this way, the 2,000-plus members of the smallholder organisation FUNDOPO are not suffering any loss of income, in spite of the crisis. This is good news for PRONATEC's customers, as well, since it also ensures the availability of cocoa from the Dominican Republic.

We are grateful that, as yet, we have not been affected by any viral infections among employees or family members. We hope that this will remain the case and shall continue to do everything possible to prevent infections.