THE CHALLENGES OF A COCOA FARMER

By: Ryan Millward

As the world obsession with chocolate remains spiralling, we at Central Press go back to the very start by seeing just how the cocoa farmers in Ghana are coping in producing the stuff that the world loves.

Every year 500,000 tonnes of Cocoa are taken from the sprawls of farms across Ghana to be exported all around the globe. The continued production of cocoa remains vital to the country's economy as it remains one of the chief exports for Ghana; in such, it is important that the cogs in the cocoa machine are kept running efficiently so that the economy remains just as sweet as the chocolate being made.

Crop of Cocoa

But how are the farmers coping? Are they being supported enough by the government? Are they as efficient with the land as possible? Visiting a cocoa farm in Ajumako Bisease in the Central Region gives us some answers to these questions that are all so important to the farmers in discussion. Arriving at the farm, it's clear to see that whoever is working on it has a substantial job; the acres of land glisten with hundreds of trees all bearing the crop of large cocoa beans.  They sit dauntingly in their thousands waiting to become ripe in the cultivation process before being bagged and passed on.

Evidently there is alot of work to be done during the farming processes. But the questions still remain unanswered. Just how hard is it to keep up the good work that remains crucial to the economy? One woman who can give us an insight is Elizabeth Dankase - a farmer working on the current crop of cocoa. "It's hard to cultivate the land but it's very rewarding" she tells us. "The government gives subsidies for chemicals that are sprayed on the cocoa as to prevent diseases. But when we run out it can cost hundreds of Cedis and that is not good." It becomes quite clear that the subsidies are not enough for the amount of crop being produced. This can become quite a problem as the farmers are facing fierce times in the money sector.

Elizabeth Dankase 

A big job takes a big work team. And a big work team means someone has to fork out big money; as we talk to Elizabeth more we discover the big team and big money. For every 2 acres of farm land, 10 farmers must be active and working to achieve the farming potential. These workers must be paid six cedi a day. This works out at 60 cedi a day for a good day farming. That's quite alot but surely the high demand for cocoa around the world means that the people buying off the farmers are paying a fair amount? Well, as we carry on talking we soon realise how bi-polar the different parties involved are in buying and selling terms; "Two acres of land can make 4 bags of cocoa beans" she informs us. "Usually we make 8 bags a year and sell them for 100 cedi a bag." When we take into account the work force and price to make these eight bags, and then compare and contrast against the money they sell the crop for, it works out that there is no real money in it for the farmers.

With such a big and important job, the rewards that it entails are few and far between; Ghana is the second biggest producer of cocoa in Africa and one of the biggest in the world. The demand for cocoa continues to grow and the amount produced around the world continues to rise. The farms remain a tough wrestling ring for the farmers who continue to fight the farming battle as they produce that sweet cocoa for the rest of the world. The job remains tough but it also remains crucial. For the cocoa farms in Ghana to be fully efficient and beneficial to the country's economy, we will need to see more support and funding for the farmers who remain encumbered with tight money, large stress and heavy workload. The world consumption of cocoa will continue to rise and it all comes back to people like Elizabeth Dankase; at the bottom of the pyramid scheme but with the most important job of all, we can only hope that the challenges these farmers face decrease for the good of the farmers and for the good of the country.