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Cocoa Sector

Overview

Dr. Gilbert Anim-Kwapong

Dr. Richard Adu-Acheampong

First Annual Platform meeting: ‘inclusive value chain

collaboration: what scope for innovation

13 August 2015, Accra Ghana

Outline

• Background and mission of COCOBOD

• Subsidiaries

• Functions

• Overall trends

• Opportunities/sustainability

• Other factors

Background

• Ghana is the world’s second largest producer of cocoa

• The sector is regulated by the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD)

• COCOBOD was established in 1947

• Ministerial responsibility is exercised by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning

• Production reached an all time high of one million tonnes in 2010/2011 season

Mission To encourage and

facilitate the

production,

processing and

marketing of

premium quality

cocoa, coffee and

sheanut in all forms

in the most efficient

and cost effective

manner

COCOBOD subsidiaries

Responsible for

production and

distribution of the

best quality planting

materials to farmers

The Seed Production

Unit

Functions of Cocoa Research Institute

Responsible for research

and linkage with extension

with the view to providing

cocoa farmers with a

package of husbandry

practices for realizing

optimal yields

Development of cocoa by-

products for

commercialization

• Responsible for

CSSVD activities,

cocoa extension

and cocoa

rehabilitation

Functions of Cocoa

Swollen Shoot Virus

Disease Control Unit

FUNCTIONS OF QUALITY CONTROL COMPANY LTD

Responsible for grading and

sealing and dis-infestation of

scheduled crops of

COCOBOD (i.e. cocoa, coffee

shea nuts)

• Responsible for

marketing and

shipment of cocoa

to local and

overseas buyers

The Cocoa Marketing

Company

Trends/constraints

• Costs are going up across the sector (e.g. labour etc.) partly because of alternative livelihoods (e.g. galamsey etc.)

• Dwindling forests

• Land degradation by surface mining

• Land tenure arrangements

• Incidence of pests and diseases

• Declining soil fertility and drought

• Ageing farmer and tree population

Government/COCOBOD intervention

• Payment of realistic prices

• Input supply (CODAPEC and Hi-Tech)

• Cocoa rehabilitation

• Regulation of activities of licensed buying companies

Input supply

Production

Opportunities/Sustainability

• Rolling up of programmes to encourage the youth in cocoa cultivation

• Short and long-term investment in scholarship, cocoa roads, community housing, water, solar lighting and schools

• Keeping people safe and healthy (e.g. agrochemicals, promotion of cocoa consumption etc.)

Sustainability contd.

• Reducing climate change impacts (aligning with REDD+ initiatives)

• Enhancing biodiversity • Land use planning for forest conservation • Promotion of certification and fair trade • Employment creation through the creation of

spraying teams • Creation of a national cocoa coordination

platform involving value chain actors (public, private sector partnership)

The way forward

• There a 10-year Cocoa Sector Development Strategy document being finalized

Thank you