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Cocoa in Ghana

History of Cocoa in Ghana

  • Cocoa was introduced into Ghana in 1879 from Fernando Po by Tetteh Quarshie.
  • Within three decades of its introduction, cocoa had become the main export commodity of the then Gold Coast.
  • By 1936, Ghana was producing about 50% of the world’s output of cocoa beans.
  • Ghana remained the world’s leading producer of cocoa until 1977 when overtaken by Brazil.
  • Brazil was later overtaken by Cote d’Ivoire in 1979.
  • Ghana currently produces about 20% of the world’s output and it is the second leading producer/exporter of cocoa beans after Cote d’Ivoire.

Ghana Cocoa Board

The Government in 1947 established the then Cocoa Marketing Board which is now known as Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to provide marketing services to cocoa farmers.
Ghana Cocoa Board is the statutory public institution that regulates and monitors the operations of Ghana’s cocoa industry. The functions of COCOBOD centre on the production, research, extension, quality control and internal and external marketing of cocoa.

Cocoa Consumption

Despite being the world’s second largest producer of cocoa, the average Ghanaian consumes about 0.5 kilograms of cocoa products produced per year. There is therefore a profound dichotomy between the quantity of raw cocoa produced in Ghana and the quantity of cocoa products consumed in the country. To curb this menace and cultivate the habit of cocoa consumption among Ghanaians, COCOBOD has put the following measures in place:

  • Giving of special concession to companies interested in local processing of cocoa.
  • Constitution of a National Committee for the Promotion of Cocoa Consumption.
  • Introduction of an annual Cocoa Festival to create awareness of the various cocoa products available and promote its utilization among Ghanaians. The festival is also aimed at providing a platform to sensitize Ghanaians on the health and nutritional benefits of cocoa and imbibe its consumption in them.
  • Introduction of an award scheme for scientists who conduct research on the health benefits of cocoa as well as an award for journalists who write on cocoa consumption.
  • Development of promotional brochures, posters and flyers on the health and nutritional benefits of cocoa
  • Using other integrated marketing communication tools to promote cocoa consumption.

Reasons to Consume Cocoa

  • Provides the most powerful dietary antioxidants
  • Delays physical signs of ageing
  • Reduces blood pressure
  • Delays physical signs of ageing
  • Fights stress
  • Fights dental decay
  • Provides energy and vitality
  • Minimizes discomfort /pain associated with menstrual periods
  • Minimizes worrisome changes that accompany menopause
  • Boosts sexual desire and performance (aphrodisiac effect)
  • Boosts fertility in both sexes
  • Inhibits dangerous clot formation within blood vessels
  • Affords anti-cancer and cancer-prevention properties
  • Promotes cleansing and detoxification of the body
  • Rich in dietary iron which helps to fight anemia
  • Improves memory and general brain functions
  • Promotes nourishment/health of brain cells
  • Supplies many essential dietary minerals
  • Offers healthy levels of dietary fiber
  • Protects blood vessels
  • Boosts sense of well being

Cocoa Sector in Ghana

  • The cocoa industry has been the mainstay of Ghana’s economy for a century, contributing 6 to 7% of GDP.
  • Cocoa employs, directly and indirectly, over 2 million people (about 7% of Ghana’s population).
  • Cocoa generates about 25% of merchandise exports revenue.
  • Cocoa contributes significantly to socioeconomic development by providing infrastructure in the form of roads, education and health facilities.

Cocoa Quality and Its Estimation

Cocoa quality is determined by the following factors:

  • Favour
  • Purity or Wholesomeness
  • Consistency/Uniformity
  • Potential

There is an international standard for the assessment of cocoa bean quality which stipulates that cocoa of merchantable quality must be:

  • well fermented and thoroughly dry
  • free from smoky beans and abnormal or foreign odors
  • Free from evidence of adulteration
  • reasonably free from living insects
  • uniform in size
  • free from broken beans, fragments, pieces of shell, and be virtually free from foreign matter.

Cocoa Production

The following factors of production have to be considered before venturing into cocoa farming: Land, labour, capital and entrepreneurship. Details are presented in the table below.
These usually include the following:

  • Land which is usually estimated as rent per annum.
  • Land preparation which involves clearing, stumping, ploughing etc.
  • Planting which may include planting materials, nursery development, cost of planting itself and transportation.
  • Weeding which is either manual or chemical.
  • Fertilizer application which also includes cost, transport and application cost.
  • Application of insecticides/fungicides which may include cost of chemical, cost of spraying (may include hiring of sprayer).
  • Harvesting which involves plucking, gathering of pods, breaking of pods, fermentation etc.
  • Transportation of produce to the point of sale.

Uses of Cocoa and Its By-Products

  • Chocolate
  • Cocoa butter
  • Cocoa powder

There are also many by products that can be derived from cocoa waste. Some of them are as follows:

  • Animal feed production from cocoa pod husk
  • Potash production for soap from cocoa pod husk
  • Cocoa Wine, alcoholic beverages such as the local gin (akpeteshie), gin and brandy from cocoa sweatings
  • Jams and marmalades from cocoa sweatings
  • Pectin for pharmaceuticals, cosmetic and food industries.