The current military unrest in the Ivory Coast has caused exports to grind to a halt. According to Mohamed L. Diaby of the Ivorian export company Zatwa Commodities, the borders of his country haven’t shut down. However, as the Ivorian government is doubling down on their inspection routines, export traffic through the ports of Ivory Coast has become very slow.
“Nobody is really sure what’s going on. People are careful, though they’re not afraid. They’re just waiting until it’s safe again,” says Mohamed.
According to Mohamed, the situation is still manageable. “The government is just taking measures to contain and manage the situation. The closure of the ports only happened today. Other than that, what’s really going on is that all operations have slowed down. The situation isn’t terrible, it’s just that the port is very busy at the moment with cocoa beans, cashew nuts and mangoes.”
Ivory Coast is currently in its mango season, which is nearly finished. While Mohamed is moderately optimistic, he does acknowledge that there will be dire economic consequences if this situation lasts any longer. “Mangoes spoil quickly. If our mangoes remain at the ports due to the inspections for too long, they’re no longer fit for export. Lots of people will lose lots of money if that happens.”
Issouf Sanogo/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The current crisis has to do with rebellious elements of the Ivorian army, who’ve become angry at the government as they haven't received their promised pay. The unrest is mainly focused in the cities Abidjan, Bouaké and Korhogo, with Korhogo being the hub for the mangoes. “It’s an unfortunate situation, but we could see this coming. These people helped the current government come into power. They lost family members. They’re now expecting what is due to them. Everybody knew that they would be angry again,” says Mohamed.
Furthermore, there were several mango packing stations that have already closed. “Mango is a perishable product, once it gets to the packing station, there is a limited time to prepare it for export. So, if they are not able to maintain the time frame of packing the mangoes, it affects the quality for export. It is a risk to take, as a result most companies decided to close their packing stations in addition to mutineers asking the population to stay indoors. And anyway, as we are going towards the end of the season they would rather stop the activity.”
“We hope the situation is solved quickly. Nobody wants this. Nobody cares about fighting anymore,” says Mohamed.
For more information:
Mohamed L. Diaby
Zatwa Commodities
Tel: +225 20 36 02 16
Email: ml.diaby@zatwa.com
www.zatwa.com
Author: Peter Duivenvoorde / Yzza Ibrahim
“Nobody is really sure what’s going on. People are careful, though they’re not afraid. They’re just waiting until it’s safe again,” says Mohamed.
According to Mohamed, the situation is still manageable. “The government is just taking measures to contain and manage the situation. The closure of the ports only happened today. Other than that, what’s really going on is that all operations have slowed down. The situation isn’t terrible, it’s just that the port is very busy at the moment with cocoa beans, cashew nuts and mangoes.”
Ivory Coast is currently in its mango season, which is nearly finished. While Mohamed is moderately optimistic, he does acknowledge that there will be dire economic consequences if this situation lasts any longer. “Mangoes spoil quickly. If our mangoes remain at the ports due to the inspections for too long, they’re no longer fit for export. Lots of people will lose lots of money if that happens.”
Issouf Sanogo/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The current crisis has to do with rebellious elements of the Ivorian army, who’ve become angry at the government as they haven't received their promised pay. The unrest is mainly focused in the cities Abidjan, Bouaké and Korhogo, with Korhogo being the hub for the mangoes. “It’s an unfortunate situation, but we could see this coming. These people helped the current government come into power. They lost family members. They’re now expecting what is due to them. Everybody knew that they would be angry again,” says Mohamed.
Furthermore, there were several mango packing stations that have already closed. “Mango is a perishable product, once it gets to the packing station, there is a limited time to prepare it for export. So, if they are not able to maintain the time frame of packing the mangoes, it affects the quality for export. It is a risk to take, as a result most companies decided to close their packing stations in addition to mutineers asking the population to stay indoors. And anyway, as we are going towards the end of the season they would rather stop the activity.”
“We hope the situation is solved quickly. Nobody wants this. Nobody cares about fighting anymore,” says Mohamed.
For more information:
Mohamed L. Diaby
Zatwa Commodities
Tel: +225 20 36 02 16
Email: ml.diaby@zatwa.com
www.zatwa.com
Author: Peter Duivenvoorde / Yzza Ibrahim