Divine Chocolate, my favorite chocolate maker, has done it again. They have just ordered the first fairtrade cocoa to come from the West African Country of Sierra Leone. Eight years after the end of its brutal civil war, with its economy still recovering, the farmers belonging to Kpeya Agricultural Enterprise (KAE) will enjoy the benefits of fairtrade.
Ghana Increases Producer Price Again
My first post in the new year reports some good news for Ghanaian cocoa farmers. On January 8, Ghana’s Cocoa Board increased producer prices from G¢2208 ($1,530) to G¢2400 (1,663) per ton.
More Bonuses for Ghanaian Cocoa Farmers
COCOBOD, the Ghanaian cocoa board, has announced another round of bonuses for cocoa farmers. This time, the total bonus amounts to GH¢25,369,862.50 ($17,887,263). That translates to $1.76 per bag of cocoa. As usual, the monies will be distributed to the 26 licensed buying companies which will then distribute funds to the farmers on the basis of their past deliveries. Also as usual, the COCOBOD advised the LBCs not to pocket the money.
Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire to Cooperate on Cocoa Prices
The Ivorian President Gbagbo’s two-day visit to Ghana ended with a joint communique expressing the two countries’ resolve to influence international cocoa prices. The communique pointed out that increases in production have not yielded comparative increases in revenue for the countries. It further criticized the impact of global commodity cartels on cocoa prices. Finally, Gbagbo and Ghanaian President Mills reaffirmed their support for moving the headquarters of the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) from London to Abidjan.
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Ghana Eyes Record Crop for 2009-10
Several reports quote cocoa traders in Ghana who predict a record crop in the current cocoa year. Ali Basma, managing director of Akuafo Adamfo Marketing Company, one of the largest cocoa buyers in the country, predicted that the crop could reach 800,000 tons this year. The head of the COCOBOD, Ghana’s cocoa board, was not as sanguine about the prospects and predicted only that this year’s crop will match the 703,000 tons produced during the last year. Timely deliveries of pesticides and fungicides and less rain are key conditions to keep black pod disease at bay. Black pod disease poses the most serious threat to Ghana and its neighbor’s cocoa crops.
