The Plight Of The Cocoa Farmer

I dedicate this heartfelt article to the "Educated Cocoa Farmer (ECF)" who happens to be my programme mate here in the University of Cape Coast. This enlightened cocoa farmer-cum-undergraduate relentlessly vents his anger on the government for turning a blind eye to the plight of the ordinary cocoa farmer. That is why yours truly decided to lead the charge against the maltreatment of cocoa farmers as the Farmer's Day approaches. Okay, how many Ghanaians really understand the cocoa trade here in Ghana? Cocoa or Theobroma Cacau is a predominant cash crop in few countries including Ghana. The cocoa farmer grows cocoa on an arable land which starts to bear fruits in the third or fourth year of its perennial life.

The ripe cocoa fruits are then plugged and cracked to extract the cocoa beans which are left to ferment for a week. The dry cocoa beans would now be packed up in sacks for sale only to Licensed Buying Companies (LBC's) which in turn sell to COCOBOD or domestic industries for export or processing respectively. However, the Educated Cocoa Farmer revealed that his people in the cocoa business do not really see the trade as rewarding; thus threatening the very survival of cocoa production. Yes, "Cocoa is Ghana and Ghana is cocoa" is a lucid expression which signifies that cocoa production is the backbone of our economy. Again, cocoa accounts for about 8% of our GDP which is largely produced by our ever-industrious smallholder farmers.

Unfortunately, Ghana being touted as the cocoa nation which was once the world's largest exporter of cocoa between 1910 and 1980 is drifting from cocoa to services whose estimated proportion to our GDP is 50%. Besides, there are fluctuations in cocoa production here in Ghana whose repercussions for the whole agricultural sector are uncalled for. But do you know that the grievances of the hardworking cocoa farmer are a product of malice towards him by the stakeholders? Cocoa farmers are shortchanged with impunity owing to the fact that they are not eligible for strike actions like UTAG, GMA, TEWU, CLOSSAG, JUSAG etc. For how on earth can a cocoa purchasing clerk adjust the weighing scale to the disadvantage of the poor cocoa farmer?

Also, the producer price of a bag of cocoa beans which was pegged at GHC350 per bag of 64kg for the 2014/2015 cocoa season by the Finance Minster, Seth Terkper is a disincentive to producing cocoa according to the Educated Cocoa Farmer. Moreover, the COCOBOD scholarship which was intended to fund the education of cocoa farmers' wards is now enjoyed by the kids of politicians, academics and business people who make up the few elite in society. For the Educated Cocoa Farmer himself was deprived of his legal right back in high school. Again, the cocoa farmers have reposed their trust in some charlatans who are now controlled by our wayward politicians. No wonder they incapable of safeguarding the prime interests of cocoa farmers - that's a fact of life!

Now to the pertinent issue at hand which is industrialised cocoa production. Article 36, Clause 3 of our 1992 Constitution provides that, "The state shall take appropriate measures to promote the development of agriculture and industry." In spite of this directive principle of state policy, the local private sector struggles to assume its pronounced responsibility guaranteed by the Constitution in agriculture and industry. Look! Competent domestic entrepreneurs dominating our hybrid system of cocoa production especially in cocoa processing is long overdue. Oh how long can the EU, US and Japan purchase our raw cocoa beans while we have wealthy industrialists with the needed capital, expertise and passion to undertake cocoa processing! Strangely enough, capitalist forces abroad have always sabotaged our supreme will to embark on sustainable industrialisation and this has become an albatross on our neck.

Source: sirarticle.blogspot.com