Ghana’s status as one of the leading cocoa exporters may be jeopardized by encroachment issues if immediate actions are not taken, warns a recent report from the Fair Trade Ghana Network.
The report highlights the threat posed by real estate developers encroaching on cocoa-growing areas, potentially leading to a loss of Ghana’s prominent position in cocoa exports to neighboring countries.
The President of the Fair Trade Ghana Network, Florence Blankson, expressed concern about the existing challenges such as deforestation and illegal mining activities that already affect cocoa farmers.
She emphasized the need for the government to escalate efforts in addressing the issues plaguing the cocoa sector.
Speaking at the 6th Annual General Meeting of the Fair Trade Ghana Network, Blankson criticized the perceived lack of proactive measures by the government and called for more effective engagement with stakeholders in the sector to ensure sustainability.
“The “galamsey” is an issue, felling down of trees are also issues and some real estate developers are taking over cocoa farmlands and if we don’t take care, very soon we may lose our position as one of the exporters of cocoa globally”.
“When we went around the water bodies they were all like tea and I wonder where we are going with this”, she said.
According to Statista, the export value of cocoa beans and cocoa products from Ghana in 2022 was approximately $2.3 billion, reflecting a 19.0% decrease from the previous year. The highest export value within the observed period occurred in 2021, reaching around $2.84 billion. Cocoa beans and cocoa products play a pivotal role in Ghana’s economy, constituting a significant percentage of the country’s total exports.
The Fair Trade Ghana Network is an organization dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture and handicraft production in the fair trade environment in Ghana. It operates as a national network encompassing fair trade certified farmers, handicraft producers, and hired labor organizations.