CASE STUDY: COCOA CULTIVATION IN

GHANA_. b
Ghana, a west African country along the shores
of the Gulf of Guinea, is often referred to as' cocoa
land'. The cocoa tree plays an important role in
the economy of Ghana. Cocoa was first exported
from here in 1891. Even today, Ghana is one of
the world's major producers and exporters of
cocoa along with other west African countries
like Nigeria, the Ivory Coast, and Cameroon.
Cocoa cultivation in Ghana is mainly
concentrated in the towns of Accra, Kumasi,
and Takoradi. Besides the coastal regions, cocoa
is also grown further inland where climatic
conditions are suitable.
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; rafr',.-c?J:, fo r~ txanspostz.::iuo o; ~ Clt"!
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I - be ea..cilj' COQStrUCted in the Jo ,.,. ~
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(c) Soil: Cocoa grOM:, on a "'ic e rzr..ge a
pr<niaed they are fair ly deep, "'--ell -c. .~
and rid t in lwm us, ll'ODr and ~~
(d) Ltb om : .\fu ch manual_ labour is ~.i: ?_j
in the growing, han ·est mg , and ~ ~
of cocoa So, cheap and alnm dar -J ~ ~
\'ery important.
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({KO(J gro-~nr,g areas ofGhana I
Cocoa Cu ltiv atio n
The cocoa pla nt grow-s bes t in forest low
~ J.
l';J The Cocoa Tree
In ~ it is bes t gro "n on sma ll holdings cS
An evergreen tropical pl.mt the cocoa tree an
well as on estates- The fore st ,·eg etat ion is
grows to a height of 4 to 9 m.. It begins to yield
s and cocoa seedlings pla nte d in nurseries ~
cocoa pod s after abo ut 5-7 years. Cocoa pod 5 en
E.ach late r tran spla nte d in ro"-s "-h en they are
gro w on the trun k and mai n bran che s. ,,i!h
in hei ght The se ro\\rs are 2 to 4 m apa rt
pod is abo ut 18-25 an long and contains pulp een to
the tail and leaf y ban ana trees gro wn in-b etw
wit h beans. Cocoa powder is extr acte d from
beans. The pulp is called 'cocoa but ter' and
is provide shade and protection from win d.
use d for manufacturing cosmetics and dru gs.
Processing Cocoa
Favourable Geographical Con ditions The cocoa pods are spl it ope n \\rith a kni fe and
for Cultivating Cocoa the beans and pulp are carefully scooped oul
(a) Qi.m ate : The high temperature
and These are laid out in hea ps on the gro und and
ferment
humidity of the equatorial regions 15° north covered wit h banana leaves and left to
and south of the equator are best suited for a week. Thereafter, the fermented bea
ns are
for growing cocoa The average monthly washed, deaned and dried in the sun . These
temperature should be between 24° and · dry beans are then graded according to quality,
28"C. However, direct sunlight is harmful, packed and taken to the nearest port for export
so tan banana or other trees are planted there are no chocolate-making factories in the
as
in between rows of cocoa trees to provide cocoa-producing countries.
shade. The rainfall should be about 125-
150 on per year, well distributed with no
 5
accounts for over 60 per cent of the countf"Y10
ex ports. However,
productio n has reduce d · d
recent years as most of the trees are old ao
lhe spread of diseases among the cocoa trees
and bad farm managem ent are common. The
~emand from importing col.mtries is, however,
increasing so the high prices have helped boost
the productio n of cocoa in Ghana, in recent
years. Now with the help of research, high
yielding varieties are being develope d. The by-
products are used to prepare arumal feed, soaps,
and cosmetics.
Cocoa is exported to all parts of the world -the
USA and Europe are the largest buyers. Some of
the chief importing ports are London, Le Havre,
Hamburg , Marseille s, New York, and New
Orleans.
Cocoa on a tree

Cocoa Product ion and Export DISCUS S

InGhana, cocoa is culti'vated on ab t 1 Deforestatio n rate in Africa is twice the average for
hectares of land Th ou .2 million the rest of the world with more than four million
· e most im t
cocoa cultivatio n is th t . por ant area for hectares of primary forest disappearin g every year.
towns of Accra Kum e . nangle formed by the What could be the reasons for this?
, as1, and Takaradi • C ocoa
Cocoa butter: the pulp contained in cocoa pods
a •t