Dr. M. R. Appiah
22 April 2004
document
In spite of all the significant gains made by other sectors of the economy in recent times, cocoa continues to occupy a key position in Ghana's economy, in terms of foreign exchange generation and domestic incomes as well as being the major source of revenue for the provision of infrastructure in the country.
Global cocoa production has risen steadily from an average of about 1.28 million tonnes in the 1960s to 3.02 million tonnes in 1999/2000. Currently, Africa (especially West Africa) is the biggest producing region with nearly 70% of the world's output. Ghana used to be the World's largest producer, with production hitting a peak of 560,000 metric tonnes (mt) in 1964/65 when it accounted for 38% of global output. However, Ghana has been overtaken by La Cote d'Ivoire with its share of the global output declining to a range between 10.7 - 12% during the last 10 years.
The average national annual yield in Ghana which is around 3 50kg/ha is low as compared to 800 kg/ha in Cote d'Ivoire. The low yield/unit area produced by cocoa farmer has resulted in the following social and economic consequences.
1) Rural poverty and rural-urban migration Children of the present generation of cocoa farmers find farming unattractive and have been drifting to the urban areas in search of non-existing jobs.
2) Deforestation In order to compensate for the declining income due to low yield per unit area, the farmer leaves his old uneconomic farm to areas where forest abounds thereby causing deforestation.
3) Soil Degradation The non-replenishment of nutrients removed from the soil annually through crop harvest has led to degradation in soil fertility in cocoa growing areas with consequential decline in yield Due to lack of adequate financial resources as a result of low productivity, the farmer is unable to carry out good agronomic practices. The causes of the decline of cocoa production within the last forty years are as follows: drought with attendant bush fires, old age of trees and farmers, pest and diseases, soil fertility decline and low producer price.
Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) the premier research Institute in the country was established in 1938 with the mandate to research into problems affecting production and utilization of byproducts of cocoa and other mandated crops.
Among the most notable achievements of the Institute may be mentioned the following: Control of capsids by spraying with insecticides, characterization of cocoa swollen shoot disease as caused by a virus, discovery of mealybugs as vectors of the virus and control of the disease by eradication, development of early bearing and high yielding hybrids, development of agronomic packages guaranteeing yields of over 3 tons/ha and production of pectin, alcohol and alcoholic beverages, animal feed, soap & cosmetics from cocoa wastes.
As a result of intensive research at CRIG, the government has initiated two programmes which have made positive impact on the cocoa industry in Ghana within the last 3 years. These are COCOA PEST & DISEASE CONTROL (CODAPEC) and COCOA HIGH TECHNOLOGY (COCOA HI-TECH) programmes. The aim of the programmes is to assist the farmer to increase yields by application of technologies developed by CRIG. There has been an increase in cocoa yields since the adoption of the programmes. In 2002/03 season, a production figure of 497,000 mt which is the second highest production was achieved. Available reports indicate that this figure will be surpassed by the output for the current 2003/04 season. Adoption of research innovations has been found to alleviate poverty in cocoa producing areas of the country.
Farmers who have participated in the two programmes have received adequate incomes which have enabled them to purchase farm inputs. Currently, the youth are being attracted into cocoa cultivation as cocoa farming is seen as a profitable venture.
The sustainability of cocoa industry in Ghana depends on factors of production and consumption. The cocoa industry is seen as an export oriented industry, which produces cocoa only for the foreign market with very little consumption of the product in Ghana. Promoting chocolate consumption and utilization of cocoa based products locally will immensely benefit the economy. With the known health benefits of cocoa in the prevention of diseases such as heart disease, strokes, certain cancers and physical degeneration maladies associated with the ageing process, the government should seriously promote internal cocoa consumption.
Cocoa should be declared a NATIONAL DRINK. Cocoa consumption should be promoted in schools, universities, hospitals, prisons, Armed Forces, in the hospitality industry, in the public places such as markets, stadia etc. Due to immense contribution made by cocoa in the development of the country, a day may be set aside to honour farmers, technocrats who have made various contributions to the growth of the industry. On this day, promotional campaigns on the need for Ghanaians to patronise cocoa products, symposia, workshops, exhibitions etc.
may be organised. A fund for the promotion of consumption of cocoa to finance collective efforts at generic promotion of cocoa be set up and contributors should include all stakeholders of the cocoa industry.
Future research on cocoa should be directed at the medicinal value of cocoa as there are now claims that most of the tropical diseases could be treated with preparations from cocoa plant.
There is also the need to develop research packages for the production of organic cocoa which is in high demand worldwide. Cocoa Swollen Shoot Disease Control and the Seed Production
· Units should be assisted to continue to help the farmers with disease control programmes and seed pods production for rehabilitation of old farms.
The Cocoa Extension be revitalised to enhance better extension delivery to the cocoa farmers.
The above is an inaugural lecture delivered by Dr. M. R. Appiah, F.G.A Executive Director, CRIG, Tafo, at the British Council Hall, Accra on April 15, this year
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2004 Ghanaian Chronicle. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
