 Cocoa Industry
Cocoa remains Ghana's golden pod. Traditionally the country's leading foreign exchange earner, cocoa continues to play a significant role in the economy. Ghana's cocoa production stood at 500,000 tons in 1965. By 1983, it had dropped to as low as 150,000 tons. Low prices and poorly motivated cocoa farmers switched over to competing crops, further aggravating the problems of inefficiency and under-investment.
Cocoa production started to pick up, however, with
the redevelopment of the agricultural sector. The
scheme made better techniques and other farm inputs
available to cocoa farmers. These measures, plus
better transport of cocoa from the farms by revamping
Cocobod 's transport operations
and improving feeder roads, have boosted present
annual production to well over 400,000 tons. As
a further measure to step up production, the government
has deregulated the industry to allow for greater
private sector involvement, concentrating on providing
secure markets for farmers through an aggressive
marketing program.
The Government's policy is to reduce the export
of raw cocoa beans and increase domestic downstream
processing. Ghana Cocobod's managing director, Mr.
John Newman says: "Our policy is to add value
and increase Ghana's processing of cocoa beans.
At the moment, we are processing about 20 % of the
crop, with a target of 35 %. We intend to manufacture
more chocolate and chocolate drink, and may enter
the sweets confectionery business with our cocoa
base."
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The cocoa processing factory, Tema, has earned international accolades for its Golden Tree brand chocolates through the use of high-grade cocoa beans. The government is seeking foreign participation in the company to access better technology and skills in manufacturing and marketing, and to expand the Tema factory's operations. The company presently exports its products to Europe and the USA, with America ranking among Ghana's biggest buyers of cocoa beans.
Ghana's cocoa is of premium quality, and Cocobod's grading mechanism has done much to ensure that it remains so. "If you tender cocoa of a quality less than what we call grade one or grade two, we will not accept it," Mr. Newman says. "It is like a joint project with the farmer, because he knows that if he gives Ghana Cocobod good quality, it will be bought and paid for readily. If he doesn't, it will be flatly rejected."
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GHANA
