Frank Okyere, the manager in charge of the environment and production at Kuapa cocoa, has urged the government to solve the issues that are contributing to the poverty of many cocoa farmers in the nation immediately.
He expressed worry that some of the main causes of poverty among cocoa producers include concerns like the cost of production, labor, and agricultural supplies.
The vital fair sharing of wealth along the cocoa value chain was the focus of Mr. Okyere's remarks during a workshop on cocoa advocacy last Monday in Accra.
The National Producer Platforms of Ghana, Togo, Benin, and other countries together organized the program to promote discussions on sustainable cocoa. More than 50 industry participants from the cocoa sector attended.
Mr. Okyere decried the situation, saying, "The increased cost of production is coming from all aspects, such as fertilizers, cutlasses, and machines utilized in spraying and trimming.
Moreover, he expressed worry over the fact that "the costs of equipment are growing and the farm gate price is fluctuating and this does not reflect in the high rising cost of production, leading farmers to lose enormous sums of money."
Emillie Durochat, the deputy director of Commerce Equitable France, urged the nations that produce cocoa to band together and seek changes to the system for determining pricing on a global scale.
She believed that the ongoing increase in the price of farm inputs including fertilizers, pesticides, farm machinery, and labor was hurting cocoa output and costing them significant amounts of money.
She said that to eradicate issues like poverty, deforestation, and child labor, everyone must work together to raise the price of cocoa on the world market twofold while still making enough money to support their family.
She lamented that just 6% of the $100,000 billion in revenue per year went to cocoa growers.
Notwithstanding the Living Income Differential Pricing's recent establishment, Côte d'Ivoire - Ghana Cocoa Initiative (CIGCI) Technical Manager Madam Tawiah Agyarko-Kwarteng claimed that farmers are still experiencing hardships.
In the Côte d'Ivoire Ghana Cocoa Initiative, our main goal has been to speak on behalf of our two nations to participate in a constructive dialogue with the many players in the industry. The cocoa industry has struggled with volatile prices, which prevents farmers from receiving the full advantages they are entitled to. To guarantee that we start dialogues about the steps that we all need to do to help our farmers achieve better prices, we have actively engaged with partners in the sector over the past few months, she added.
Fortin Bley, the president of Fair Trade Platform Cote D'Ivoire, asserted that without fair trade, the government would not be able to maintain the cocoa industry.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0