Takoradi, the port city halfway between Ghana’s capital Accra and the Ivorian capital of Abidjan is buzzing with lots of new activity. And no, it’s not the planned boom in cocoa exports–Ghana is planning to reach cocoa exports of 1 million tons by 2010/11–it’s the expectation of an oil boom that is pushing up real estate prices in the city and causing a boom in construction and renovation.
New EU Directive on Pesticides
A new European Union directive on the minimum residue levels (MRL) of pesticides on cocoa beans takes effect on September 1, 2008. Starting that date, cocoa beans that surpass that level will be rejected. Cocoa farmers who use pesticides (and that is the vast majority in the world) will have to learn how to apply the proper pesticides in the proper amounts, warned the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) yesterday. Continue reading “New EU Directive on Pesticides”
Nigeria and the EU
Once upon a time, the European Union dealt with its former colonies (the so-called ACP [African Caribbean Pacific] countries) through the mechanism of the four Lomé Agreements. These provided for non-reciprocal trade relations. The ACP countries were given duty-free access to EU markets (with important exceptions), but they did not have to offer similar concessions to the EU goods. More importantly, through STABEX, the EU provided additional funds that helped ACP countries whose earnings from the exports of primary commodities (like cocoa) dropped due to price fluctuations. Continue reading “Nigeria and the EU”
