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Here is Tim Loughton (@timloughton) making a false statement to the House of Commons. The falsity of which is not acknowledged )y International Trade minister George Hollingbery and is ignored by the Secretary of State Dr Liam Fox.
Firstly Ethiopia is one of UNCTAD's least developed countries (LDC). That means that it benefits from the EU's Everything But Arms (EBA) scheme which grants zero duties and quotas on all products exported into the EU apart from weapons. If Mr Loughton cared he would know this. 
Secondly, Ethiopia is not a cocoa exporting country. I've checked on FAOSTAT (fao.org/faostat/en/#da…) and it is not listed among the 62 nations they have stats on cocoa production levels in 2016/17. Coffee yes, cocoa no.
Thirdly those countries that do produce cocoa are mainly in West Africa, particularly Ghana and Ivory Coast. Those countries are either also on EBA or have an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU both of which grant zero duties on cocoa beans & goods processed cocoa.
In fact, almost every country on the continent is able to export into the EU both raw and processed goods tariff-free and quota-free.
trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/20…
trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/20…
And here's Helen Daniels of the Fairtrade Foundation explaining the situation regarding of African cocoa and coffee exports to the EU to the International Trade Committee in May 2018
Video Part 1/2
Video Part 1/2
Helen Daniels of the Fairtrade Foundation giving evidence to the International Trade Committee in May 2018 of African cocoa and coffee exports to the EU.
Video Part 2/2
Video Part 2/2
Unfortunately, Mr Loughton (@timloughton) is not the first to repeat these claims in the House of Commons, nor House of Lords for that matter. Far from it.
But I hope he takes the trouble to read this and make the necessary correction.
But I hope he takes the trouble to read this and make the necessary correction.
On rewatching the video I just noticed that @GHollingbery answers by saying that @timloughton is "quite right" but then he goes on to explain about the UK continuing with the EU's preferential market access for these countries which surely shows that he's quite wrong!
