COCOA LIFE IN INDIA
Our heritage in India – dating back to 1965 when Cadbury introduced its first cocoa tree to the country – has led to cocoa growing communities calling the crop the Cadbury tree. Over the years, Mondelēz India has reached ~100,000 farmers by distributing planting materials, providing good agricultural practices and other sustainability actions. In India, Cocoa Life reached ~6,5001 farmers in ~1001 communities by the end of 2024.
- Reported information for the period from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024 covers India. This data is provided by third parties.↩
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A STORY ON ENVIRONMENT IN INDIA
"IF THERE ARE FORESTS, IT IS GOOD FOR ALL ANIMALS… IF THERE IS NO FOREST, WE DON’T HAVE ANYTHING, TEMPERATURES WILL RISE, AND OUR FARMS WILL ALSO GET DAMAGED…"
Samrajyam, a cocoa farmer from Andhra Pradesh, India
A STORY ON WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT IN INDIA
Mondelēz treated me like one of their own family members, especially during the first three or four years when I planted my [cocoa] crop. Because I'm not educated, I didn't know what inputs to put [on the trees], but Mondelēz told me what to add to help grow my cocoa, and it worked. For all that, they were there with me.
Radha, a cocoa farmer from Kerala, India
Although cocoa is a non-native crop to India, it has become an important crop in the multi-crop farming model alongside the planting of banana or coconut on the same land. We want to ensure cocoa continues to be a viable crop for farmers that generates income and therefore continuously invest in research and productivity interventions. We’re working with local agricultural universities to implement programs that focus on inter-cropping models, Good Environmental Practices and Good Agricultural Practices; all of which protect against deforestation and maximize benefits from the available land.
Cocoa Life India implements community engagement approaches, focused on empowering and training women in cocoa farming, finance and health as well as supporting tribal farmers in remote locations to create their own cocoa businesses and improve their livelihoods. Cocoa Life’s investment also focuses on improving infrastructure in rural schools, including the construction or renovation of bathrooms and access to drinking water.
"In India, we have been working with cocoa farmers for almost 60 years and are proud to have shaped the history of cocoa farming in the country. Today, the Cocoa Life program in India works with over 10,000 cocoa farmers and their communities to focus our social, economic and environmental interventions on what is needed to create a sustainable supply of cocoa. A unique feature here is that cocoa is grown as an intercrop in coconut, oil palm and areca farms that can help growers’ double their income while protecting the environment. We also place particular focus on empowering women and tribal farmers in rural areas by providing them with tailored interventions to grow their cocoa sustainably. Public-private partnerships are critical for cocoa growing at scale - and we’re passionate about working closely with the government, our partners and farmers to create a thriving cocoa sector."
Roopak Bhat, Head of Cocoa Life India
This dashboard demonstrates the scale achieved by the end of 2023 and how Cocoa Life is making progress in its key cocoa-producing countries. Cocoa Life monitors the below indicators under three key focus areas, which we put in place with our partners.
This page was updated in June 2025.