Cocoa Industry In Ghana Research Articles

Ghana Cocoa Industry—An Analysis from the Innovation System Perspective

This paper discusses Ghana’s cocoa industry from the innovation systems perspective. Cocoa is the major cash crop of Ghana. Its importance is not only in the contribution of about 25% annually of the total foreign exchange earnings but also on account of being the source of livelihoods for many rural farmers and the related actors in the value chain. The critical actors in the innovation system are the farmers, the researchers, the buyers, the transporters, public officers, consumers and the policy makers. By the roles and functions they perform, they impact on the dynamics of the cocoa industry. The paper describes the trends in cocoa production and processing and highlights the key characteristics and implications. It discusses the policy reforms in the cocoa industry and the major drivers of the reforms. The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) is one of the biggest public institutions in Ghana and its subsidiaries are major actors in the production process of cocoa for export. The key reforms in the policies governing the industry were the dissolution of the monopoly of Produce Buying Company and the deregulation of cocoa purchasing to allow Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) to enter the business in 1992/93 crop season. There was also the dismantling and re-organization of the Cocoa Services Division into two separate units—the Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease Control Unit (CSSVDCU) and the Seed Production Unit (SPU). The processing of cocoa into cocoa butter, cocoa paste and confectioneries is an important component of the value chain especially with the national goal of processing 50% of cocoa before export. The paper discusses policy implementation in the cocoa industry underscoring the successes and failures. It highlights lessons for other primary commodity producing countries especially those whose development contexts are similar to Ghana’s.

Enzyme cocktail for enhancing poultry utilisation of cocoa pod husk

Cocoa Pod Husk (CPH) is a major by-product from the cocoa industry in Ghana. Using CPH as a low-cost unconventional feedstuff is hampered by its poor nutrient composition due to high level of non-starch polysaccharides including cellulose, pectin and hemicellulose, which are indigestible in monogastric livestock such as poultry. Anin vitro enzyme treatment study was conducted to test the effect of various combinations of selected exogenous fibrolytic enzymes on the digestibility of CPH feedstuff. Concentrations of 0.8, 0.6 and 0.8% w/w respectively for Pentopan®MonoBG, Viscozyme®L and Pectinex®5XL were observed as appropriate levels for supplementing CPH feedstuff. Among the enzyme combinations tested, the Pentopan®MonoBG + Viscozyme®L, Viscozyme®L + Pectinex®5XL and Pentopan®MonoBG + Viscozyme®L + Pectinex®5XL formulae were most effective in maximising sugar release from CPH feedstuff by 42 - 53% increase with a corresponding reduction (7 - 14%) in crude fibre and non-starch polysaccharide fractions (P < 0.05). The present results suggest that supplementation with multi-enzymes or blends of exogenous NSP-degrading enzymes may enhance the capacity of poultry to efficiently digest and utilise dietary CPH. Key words: Agro-industrial by-product, cocoa pod husk, non-starch polysaccharides,in vitro treatment, fibrolytic enzymes, saccharification.

The efficiency of share contracts in Ghana's cocoa industry

Social anthropologists have contributed significantly to our understanding of the consistency between observed labour contracts in the Ghana cocoa industry and the cultural historical development of the country. This article contributes to the ongoing research efforts in this area by demonstrating that the observed labour contracts are also efficient and consistent with the predictions of economic theory. It concludes that joint efforts by anthropologists and economists may be one effective way to proceed in seeking insights into a labour market that is so deeply rooted in the culture of a people.

ガーナにおける「低開発」とココア農民の形成

ガーナにおける「低開発」とココア農民の形成

Simulated radiation disinfestation of infested cocoa beans in Ghana

Four major insect pests Cadra cautella , (Walker) Lasioderma serricorne (F.) Araecerus fasciculatus (DeG) and Tribolium casteneum (Herbst) persistently affect the cocoa industry in Ghana, the world's leading exporter of cocoa, despite the conventional methods of chemical control in practice. The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission currently is investigating the possible use of radiation for the control of both insect attack and microbial spoilage of cocoa beans in storage. Radiation response studies of the four major insect pests that significantly affect the quality of dried cocoa beans in storage have been evaluated. Results herein reported were based on simulated bulk infestation radiation disinfestation of dried cocoa under field and laboratory conditions at ambient temperature (25–32°C). The comparative efficiency of locally available packaging materials best suited for bagging of the dried cocoa beans at and after irradiation have been assessed concurrently. The author concludes by identifying and discussing possible factors that could affect the technology of radiation disinfestation of cocoa beans under the Ghanaian context.