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The Chief Executive of Ghana Cocoa Board, Joseph Boahen Aidoo, has emphasised the need for the cocoa industry to maintain productivity and profitability at levels that are socially acceptable, economically viable and environmentally friendly. 

He noted, however, that while the attainment of a sustainable cocoa economy has become a predominant objective of all stakeholders, the perspectives on what it means, the best path to its attainment, and the level of commitment to achieving it differ among stakeholders.

“To consumers, sustainability emphasis is on ethical issues and environmental protection. For manufacturers and grinders, all efforts at sustainability must imply continuous and profitable sourcing. To us producers, a decent price that enables farmers to live a life of dignity, a price that is capable of attracting and maintaining the next generation of cocoa farmers, is the underlying meaning of sustainability,” he explained. 

Joseph Boahen Aidoo made these comments when he delivered the keynote address at the 2017 World Cocoa Foundation partnership meetings in Washington yesterday, on the theme ‘Accelerating Sustainability through Technology and Innovation’.

The WCF is one of the largest non-governmental platforms on which governments, civil society, and the private sector engage on the shared agenda of a sustainable cocoa economy.

He emphasised, however, that in spite of these differences, there remain a common denominator of ensuring a thriving cocoa economy, one that presents optimal benefits to all stakeholders without compromising future opportunities.

This, according to him, would require remunerative prices and productivity-enhancing initiatives at a rate that maintains a desirable demand-supply balance. 

In Ghana, he said, the cocoa industry faces multi-faceted challenges, ranging from aging populating of cocoa farmers to the onslaught of galamsey, which put the future of Ghana’s cocoa industry at risk. 

“It is to partly address these problems that COCOBOD has resorted to efficiency and productivity-enhancing interventions”, he noted. 

He made reference to other initiatives such as irrigation, incentivising in the farm rehabilitation programme, and the hand pollination programme, which has since yielded some satisfactory results and generated a lot of enthusiasm amongst cocoa farmers across the country. 

These initiatives, he said, would produce their optimum results only if there is a sustainable market – that is, a sustainable demand and a sustainable price.

“We need to collectively work towards increasing demand to establish the desired equilibrium in the market. One key activity in this regard is the promotion of cocoa consumption”, he added. 
He bemoaned the fact that that the cocoa industry has not done enough to highlight the health benefits cocoa provides its consumers. 

“It is common knowledge that dark chocolates with high concentration of cocoa solids contain more health-boosting flavonoids – those potent antioxidants which protect cells against damage from free-radicals. Flavonoids are said to help protect the body against diseases associated with oxidative stress such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer, build bone mass, enhance cognitive performance and are aphrodisiac.”

He was however, optimistic, that the future of the cocoa industry looks bright and holds many prospects for sustainable cocoa economy in the years ahead. “Partnership and innovation are what are key to enable us play our role effectively as the producers of cocoa in the world. And I am optimistic that WE CAN!”