Increasing Certified Organic Cocoa Production in Ghana

 One of the most effective ways of increasing certified organic cocoa production in Ghana, is to encourage  fairtrade  partnerships  between Ghanaians,  and foreign companies engaged in certified fairtrade organic cocoa production elsewhere in the world.


If such fairtrade joint-venture partnerships between Ghanaians and foreign investors,  are automatically issued with  permits to buy and export certified organic cocoa beans - produced by farmer groups they work with  to convert to certified organic cocoa production -  that will be the perfect incentive to attract more overseas fairtrade companies  experienced  in certified  organic cocoa production elsewhere,   to invest in joint-venture partnerships to produce certified cocoa for export with Ghanaians.


Those joint-venture partnerships to  produce certified fairtrade organic cocoa in Ghana, will  grow that niche quickly -  to make Ghana a global power in certified fairtrade organic cocoa production.


The present ministerial team at the Ministry  of Finance and Economic Planning,  ought to take a keen interest in the effort to increase certified fairtrade organic cocoa production in Ghana.


For their information, it was the personal intervention by  one of their predecessors in office, the late Hon. Baah-Wiredu, who after reading an article of mine (and calling to thank me, incidentally),  subsequently ensured  that a permit to buy and export cocoa beans was issued  by the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD),   to   a Ghanaian resident in Switzerland, Mr. Yayra Glover,  which made it possible for him to team up with  Pakka AG  and Max Felchlin AG - both Swiss organic chocolate manufacturers -  which guaranteed  the success of the  Yayra Glover Project in the Suhum, Craboar Coaltar District:  in  producing certified organic fairtrade cocoa beans for export to Switzerland.


The current ministerial team at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, ought to  aim to replicate such fair trade partnerships to produce certified cocoa for export,   many times over,  during their administration's tenure - a  worthy legacy for them to aim to leave as an achievement for President Mahama's administration.


In the long-term,  it makes perfect sense for Ghana to aim to become the world's leading producer of certified organic cocoa beans - to secure the future of cocoa production in Ghana.


The surest way to achieve that goal,  is for  the COCOBOD to encourage more fair trade joint- venture partnerships of the Yayra Glover Project-type.


That will definitely make Ghana the world's  leading producer of high quality cocoa beans -  by definition certified fair trade organic cocoa beans - for which global demand will always outstrip supply and command a premium.


Luckily,  the present chief executive of the  COCOBOD, Mr. Tony Fofie,   and his deputy,  Dr. Yaw Adu Ampomah, are both committed to  and supportive of an  increase in  the production of certified organic cocoa beans in Ghana.


The future in the global market for cocoa beans, definitely lies with the nations that switch to producing certified organic cocoa beans. A time will come when  the major buyers of cocoa beans will purchase only  certified organic cocoa beans.


That is why Ghana must aim to become  the main  source of certified organic cocoa beans for major  buyers in Japan, Germany, Scandinavia, the UK, Europe, the United States of America, Canada, Singapore, China and elsewhere. And it is joint-venture partnerships to produce certified organic cocoa that  will secure the future of  Ghana's cocoa industry. A word to the wise...


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