Kufuor, like more than 55 percent of cocoa farmers in neighboring Ghana and Ivory Coast, lived below the poverty line, as their revenues constitute only less than 6 percent of the global cocoa industry’s revenues of $100 billion annually, even though their two countries control two-thirds of the world’s crude production. cocoa;
Last month, cocoa producers in Ghana and Ivory Coast called for a change in the revenue map of the industry, of which manufacturers in Europe, Asia and the United States account for 94 percent. Producers in both countries boycotted a recent conference in the Belgian capital, Brussels; Protesting the poor conditions of farmers; Accusing multinational chocolate companies and traders of obstructing measures to improve the income of cocoa farmers.
Ghana and Ivory Coast, located in West Africa, contribute more than 60 percent of the world’s cocoa production, with an annual average of about 600 million tons; But the majority of farmers in the two countries face great difficulties in providing for their daily needs. Kufuor told Sky News Arabia, “Before renting my farm, I used to get tired all year round, but the return on that fatigue was fading completely due to the high production costs and low purchase prices.
“International companies live off the sweat of farmers and leave them sinking into poverty,” he added.
Producers earn about $1,230 per ton of cocoa beans after a laborious and expensive production process; Relevant authorities in the two countries say they are working to improve conditions for farmers, but blame international traders and chocolate manufacturers around the world.
In fact, the governments of Ivory Coast and Ghana sensed the seriousness of the trend of shifting away from cocoa cultivation, which had increased strongly over the past two years; In an attempt to curb this trend, it introduced a living premium for farmers of $400 per ton to the export price of cocoa as part of a plan to lift more than half a million farmers out of poverty.
According to a spokesman for the governmental authority responsible for regulating cocoa production in Ghana, the authority seeks to preserve the areas planted with cocoa and increase its size, so it places the issue of farmers’ welfare and improving their conditions at the forefront of its priorities. The spokesman called on chocolate companies and cocoa dealers to demonstrate a commitment to improving farmers’ incomes in order to maintain production.
For their part, the multinational chocolate producers defend their position; She says that she is sensing the situation of farmers and working to help them. Over the past years, she implemented a plan in which she invested $500 million to work on the sustainability of cocoa cultivation and support farmers in West Africa; Noting that many local and international organizations and companies involved in the purchase or manufacture of cocoa have committed to ensuring that cocoa producers in West Africa increase income in their supply chains.
And warns Napoleon Fauchini, an economic analyst at Three News in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, that inaction in improving the conditions of farmers will increase the tendency to switch to other, more profitable activities.
He believes that the current prices are not commensurate with the importance of the product and its high prices in global markets, as it is the main component of the chocolate industry, which has great global popularity.
“The conditions of the farmers will not improve until they are paid what they deserve. They will continue to plunge into poverty and misery in light of the skyrocketing prices,” Fauchini told Sky News Arabia. “While the price of cocoa in the world has risen over the years, farmers continue to earn very little for their sweat,” he explains.
Fauchini points out that the lack of support for extension services, the high cost of inputs, and the low prices offered to producers are all reasons why cocoa cultivation is costly to maintain; This prompts many farmers to cut down cocoa trees and sell or rent their farms to illegal gold miners or venture into more profitable sectors such as rubber farming.
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