▁in ▁ 2 0 1 2 . ▁ ▁Close ▁t ies ▁to ▁France ▁since ▁independence ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 0 , ▁divers ification ▁of ▁agricult ural ▁exports , ▁and ▁encourag ement ▁of ▁foreign ▁invest ment ▁have ▁been ▁factors ▁in ▁the ▁economic ▁growth ▁of ▁I v ory ▁Coast . ▁In ▁recent ▁years , ▁I v ory ▁Coast ▁has ▁been ▁subject ▁to ▁greater ▁competition ▁and ▁falling ▁prices ▁in ▁the ▁global ▁market place ▁for ▁its ▁primary ▁agricult ural ▁cro ps : ▁coffee ▁and ▁c ocoa . ▁That , ▁comp ounded ▁with ▁high ▁internal ▁cor ruption , ▁makes ▁life ▁difficult ▁for ▁the ▁gro wer , ▁those ▁export ing ▁into ▁foreign ▁mark ets , ▁and ▁the ▁labor ▁force , ▁in asm uch ▁as ▁instances ▁of ▁indent ured ▁labor ▁have ▁been ▁reported ▁in ▁the ▁country ' s ▁c ocoa ▁and ▁coffee ▁production ▁in ▁every ▁edition ▁of ▁the ▁U . S . ▁Department ▁of ▁Labor ' s ▁List ▁of ▁Good s ▁Produ ced ▁by ▁Child ▁Labor ▁or ▁For ced ▁Labor ▁since ▁ 2 0 0 9 . ▁ ▁I v ory ▁Coast ' s ▁economy ▁has ▁grown ▁faster ▁than ▁that ▁of ▁most ▁other ▁African ▁countries ▁since ▁independence . ▁One ▁possible ▁reason ▁for ▁this ▁might ▁be ▁tax es ▁on ▁export ▁agricult ure . ▁I v ory ▁Coast , ▁Niger ia , ▁and ▁Ken ya ▁were ▁exceptions ▁as ▁their ▁r ul ers ▁were ▁themselves ▁large ▁c ash - c rop ▁produ cers , ▁and ▁the ▁newly ▁independent ▁countries ▁des isted ▁from ▁impos ing ▁pen al ▁rates ▁of ▁tax ation ▁on ▁export