"OPEC For Cocoa": The Ivory Coast and Ghana, Which Produce Over 60% Of The World Cocoa, Join Forces

PhillyzFinest

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The good brehs of PHI
Euro CACS are sitting in a war room right now thinking about what they can do. Here are their options:

1. Fund some militia group by buying a bunch of Toyota Tundras and 5000 machine guns. They'll try to identify a c00n traitor in a remote village and train him to lead & gather a group of impressionable boys & men and attempt a coup. If they succeed, the Euro cacs will reward the group by making them rich in exchange for a "new negotiation" to pay African workers $2.00 an hour instead of $2.50.

2. Call Bill Gates and them biolab cacs to cook up Ebola 2.0 and unleash it on the areas and create bad press around it. Have troops rush in and threaten to have it spread unless they agree to original terms.

3. Get on the phone & call moneybags Joe and ask them to quietly drop a couple of drone bombs in response.

NOW is the time to stay vigilant and prepare. This is why the African nations need a version of a CIA. I guarantee you there's a "rebel leader" sitting in an air conditioned room with a high quality scotch in a Swiss Bank with a bunch of cacs as we speak!
 

loyola llothta

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Ghana's farmers eye sweet success from chocolate
By Ijeoma NdukweBBC Business
Image copyrightAFP
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There is a lot of money in chocolate but the producers of the raw material see very little of it.

Last year the retail industry was worth $107bn (£78bn), according to one projection, but Ghana - the world's second largest cocoa producer - earned just around $2bn.

This is a familiar pattern for many African countries where the economy is still shaped by a colonial relationship in which they export commodities to be processed elsewhere.

Ghana's President, Nana Akufo-Addo, served notice on this last year when he told an audience in Switzerland that "there can be no future prosperity for the Ghanaian people" if this way of doing things continues.

The country currently processes about 30% of its cocoa crop, but despite plans for growing the domestic chocolate industry there are still many obstacles in the way.

Ambitious cocoa farmer Nana Aduna II - a traditional ruler, who inherited his 80-acre plantation two decades ago - is well aware of the difficulties.

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"The equipment to make chocolate is very expensive. Plus we don't have a local dairy industry"", Source: Nana Aduna II, Source description: Cocoa farmer and entrepreneur, Image: Nana Aduna II in his plantation
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He is among a number of Ghanaian entrepreneurs who are keen to seize the opportunity to process cocoa in Ghana itself, before exporting a more lucrative finished product.

But when it comes to the sweet stuff, Nana Aduna "decided not to go down the chocolate route", he tells the BBC.

"The equipment to make chocolate is very expensive," he explains. "Plus we don't have a local sugar industry and we don't have a local dairy industry."

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World's largest:. . .
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Instead he makes an income from offering tours where visitors can witness the fermentation process and observe how the cocoa pods are left outdoors to dry in the sun before they are processed into teas, wines and cacao nibs to be sold.

To make chocolate, on the other hand, would require Nana Aduna to import milk and sugar, which would drive up the cost of production.

He also says producing the confectionary requires consistent refrigeration, but the high cost of the equipment to achieve that is a major obstacle for entrepreneurs without substantial funds.

Image copyrightOHENE COCOA
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Image captionNana Aduna makes chocolate wine and tea for export from Ghana
The farmer's teas and wines are not typically associated with cocoa, but the goods are selling well, according to Nana Aduna, who says he can make 15 to 20 times more on these products than the raw beans.

Chocolate could have more of a mass market appeal and also offer good returns but for the moment, he says that's not viable.

There are others with ambitions to set up a processing plant in Ghana but who are currently taking the cocoa beans overseas.
They include British-Ghanaian farm-owner and chocolate-maker Raphael Dapaah, who is based in London.

In 2016, he decided to add value to the cocoa that his family has been growing in Ghana for six decades by co-founding premium vegan brand Dapaah Chocolates.

He refines batches of chocolate in his London factory incorporating ingredients such as coconut milk powder and sea salt from Ghana's Atlantic coast.

Relocate to Ghana
The former civil servant, who has global ambitions for his brand, says setting up production in the UK was a carefully considered strategy as it is closer to important markets.

"Once we're able to establish a foothold in the UK and across Europe and North America, we would then relocate the bulk of our production to Ghana," Mr Dapaah says.

Nevertheless, he acknowledges that infrastructure challenges in Ghana also influenced his decision to set up shop in the UK.

He highlights similar concerns to Nana Aduna about the business environment in Ghana.

He says he was worried about the inconsistent supply of energy in rural parts of Ghana and the large upfront capital expenditure required to buy equipment such as refrigerated lorries to transport the finished products to the port.

Image copyrightDAPAAH CHOCOLATE
_117898584_chocs.jpg

Image captionRaphael Dapaah hopes to process his chocolate in Ghana but says there are some logisitcal issues at the moment
Access to funds is a big problem and Nana Aduna says that high interest rates on bank loans are an issue for fledgling businesses and at the moment he cannot afford to borrow money.

"You cannot grow a business when you have to service interest rates of 18-20% or even more," he says.

But the government has pledged to address these structural issues.

'Break the narrative'
Echoing the president's words, Trade and Industry Minister Alan Kyerematen says that industrialisation is a major tenet of government policy.

"It only makes sense that the most important commodity in our country, which is cocoa… should become the target for a major programme of industrialisation," he tells the BBC.

"If you look at all the most powerful nations globally they also happen to be the most industrialised economies."

Ghana, however, is not known for its chocolate.

There are some local brands, like Golden Tree and artisanal label '57 Chocolate, but President Akufo-Addo's government still needs to do a lot of work to overcome production issues.

His One District One Factory programme aims to kickstart industrialisation by providing the infrastructure for agribusiness.

The establishment of processing plants in some of the big cocoa-growing areas is a key goal.

Image copyrightOHENE COCOA
_117898588_cocoadrying.jpg

Image captionGhana processes about 30% of its cocoa crop and the rest is exported
The fact that it has become easier for the private sector to invest in food processing is a welcome move, according to commodities expert Ekow Dontoh, who works for Bloomberg news.

He also highlights the big tax rebate available to processing companies that set up in the country's free zones - designated areas to encourage economic activity - in a bid to help them export.

"There have been signs that there are prospects coming up that are exciting," he says.

"All these are laudable ideas, [but] some of them still have teething problems. In principle we can say that there's been some good steps, but the full impact is yet to be shown in the economy."

Perhaps when the path is fully cleared, the likes of Nana Aduna and Mr Dapaah will become part of the country's chocolate-exporting sector.

Mr Dapaah says this is his ambition, which developed once he realised the imbalance in earnings between cocoa producers like his family and Western chocolate manufacturers and brands.

"I thought it was about time our family took action to break that narrative… [and about] how I could return to Ghana and be of service to my family and the ambitions of the nation."


 

loyola llothta

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Nigeria in position to export US$3B in cocoa derivatives to AfCFTA

April 12, 2021


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The Nigerian federal government has disclosed that by taking advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Nigeria has the capacity to export US$3B worth of derivatives from cocoa and US$300M from the sale of the raw unprocessed commodity.



According to local media reports, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Sector Matters, Mr. Francis Anatogu, who is also the Secretary of the National Action Committee (NAC) for Nigeria’s AfCFTA implementation said that during the recession of 2016, not only did revenue from oil drop, but the tax revenue also decreased.

With AfCFTA, Anatogu stated that compliance would be critical because there are some risks that if all stakeholders don’t comply, there will be issues.

Anatogu, argued that though there are issues to be resolved, it still does not take away the objectives and the opportunities that the AfCFTA holds. He emphasised that coordination remains an area for improvement for the AfCFTA, between MDAs, the private sector and the public sector as well as coordination between federal and state governments.


The president’s aide explained that there are efforts being made in that direction to improve coordination and joint planning, saying that the process would get better as the country moves towards export orientation and non-oil growth. He added that individuals and businesses are already taking advantage and moving into Africa.

He said that stakeholders such as the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) were carrying out training and development programmes on how Nigerians can take advantage of the programme.

Anatogu had said being successful with the AfCFTA would mean achieving a diversified and sustainable Nigerian economy with strong linkages with neighbours and the top economies in Africa as well as a globally accepted country brand.

Link: Nigeria in position to export US$3B in cocoa derivatives to AfCFTA
 

MischievousMonkey

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The Ghanaian president didn't declare an embargo on cocoa exports like the media makes it sound, he announced they wanted to increase the proportion of manufactured goods derived from cocoa.

This seems inexorable so Switzerland and them have no choice but to invest in it before competitors (Chinese ones for example) if they want to alleviate the weight of the future competition.

I banned chocolate from diet but when those Ghanaian brands hit I'm sending it as birthday gifts :noah: wonder what kind of flavor they'll develop too. An hibiscus flavored chocolate might be fire :ohlawd:
 

loyola llothta

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Ghana worries as China begins exporting cocoa beans


ABU MUBARIK Apr 28, 2021
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Ghana and Ivory Coast are the world-leading producers of cocoa. Photo: Neja Hrovat

There are growing concerns about the potential collapse of Ghana’s cocoa industry as China starts growing and exporting the cash group. The fear appears justified over China’s capital Beijing’s capacity to use technology to scale up production to surpass Ghana and Ivory Coast, the world’s leading producers of cocoa.

The Asian country recently exported its first batch of cocoa beans weighing 500 kg, worth about $3,600 to Belgium. This was made known by Hao Zhaoyun, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS), according to China Daily.


Zhaoyun said the cocoa beans are being produced in Xinglong, a township of Hainan with a tropical climate. He also noted that Hainan is expanding its cocoa production to meet the increasing demand for chocolates. “As Belgium is dubbed ‘kingdom of chocolates,’ exports to the country indicate that our cocoa production standards have been recognized by the international community,” he said.


Commenting on China’s cocoa beans to Belgium, Ghanaian industrialist Tony Oteng-Gyasi said Ghana should investigate how China’s earned a better price for its first cocoa beans export.


Respected Ghanaian Statesman, Sir Sam Jonah, also lamented the role of the Chinese in the destruction of cocoa farms. “The Chinese having helped pollute our rivers through illegal mining activities and having, in connivance with some Ghanaians acquired large tracks of farmlands in the cocoa-growing areas have started producing their own cocoa,” he said.

Ghana’s cocoa management agency, Cocobod, said it is assessing the impact of the Chinese’s involvement in the sector. The Public Affairs Manager of the agency, Fiifi Boafo, told local station Citi FM that the cocoa market has been saturated, adding that consumption has also slowed.


“So any new addition in terms of production is a matter of concern because higher production without commensurate consumption will force the price of cocoa downwards,” he said. However, he maintained that China cannot match Ghana in the production of quality cocoa beans.

Ghana’s Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) in a statement called on the government to introduce innovative measures to boost cocoa production. “We have to immediately change how we produce cocoa in this country. For more than 100 years we have been using cutlasses and hoes on our cocoa farms,” said Edward Kareweh, General Secretary of GAWU.


Cocoa remains one of the backbones of Ghana’s economy, in addition to commodities such as oil and gas. Ghana is the second-largest producer of cocoa after Ivory Coast. The two West African nations control 60% of the cocoa market.

link:
Ghana worries as China begins exporting cocoa beans - Face2Face Africa
 
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