Use of Pesticides in the Cocoa Industry and Their Impact on the Environment and the Food Chain

Abstract

Cocoa, Theobroma cacao L., is a major cash crop cultivated in the tropical regions of West Africa, the Caribbean, South America and Asia. In West Africa, where over 70% of the world’s cocoa is produced – with about 21% coming from Ghana it is a significant component of the rural economy, as the industry is dominated by large numbers of smallholder peasant farmers who depend on the crop for their livelihood (Acquaah, 1999; Appiah, 2004). Like all living organisms, the cocoa plant can also be attacked by a wide range of pests and diseases. When this happens expected production targets are not met, and the economies of the producer nations are adversely affected. Preventive and curative measures are therefore necessary in the cocoa industry to maintain and even increase output (Akrofi and Baah, 2007). While non-chemical means of managing pests and diseases in the industry are widely recommended for health and other reasons, the use of some amounts of chemicals in the form of fertilizers, insecticides and fungicides is unavoidable in the effective management of cocoa farms (Moy and Wessel, 2000; Opoku et al., 2007; Adjinah and Opoku, 2010). Their use is therefore expected to increase with time. Indeed in the twenty-year period from 19862006, the use of fertilizer world-wide increased by almost 250% (UNEP, 1991). The same trend applies to pesticides, although they are more difficult to monitor partly because of the secrecy that goes with the continued production and use of banned substances. The trends suggest quite clearly however, that much of the increase in world food production can be attributed to the response of crops to increased use of fertilizers and pesticides (UNEP, 1991). Fortunately, there has always been a clear appreciation of the potential deleterious effects of the chemicals used in the cocoa industry since the 60s, and standards have been set by FAO and WHO for acceptable levels of residues in the beans exported to other countries. The goal of maintaining high levels of agricultural productivity and profitability while reducing pesticides use presents a significant challenge. There are repeated cases of excessive levels of pesticide residues being found in agricultural produce and the safety of these products has become an issue of concern. Recently, changes in regulations in the European Union (EU), North America and Japan have called for a reflection on crop protection practices in cocoa and other commodity crops (ICCO, 2007). The quality of cocoa