Ghana Cocoa Board facts for kids
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The Ghana Cocoa Board (often called COCOBOD) is a special organization in Ghana. It's controlled by the government and helps manage everything about cocoa. COCOBOD sets the price for cocoa beans that farmers sell. This helps protect farmers from big changes in world market prices. COCOBOD also sells better quality seeds and researches diseases that affect cocoa plants.
This organization was known as the Cocoa Marketing Board from 1947 to 1979. COCOBOD's main job is to support how cocoa is grown, sold, and processed in Ghana. About 60% of Ghana’s cocoa beans are sent to the United Kingdom.
Contents
The Story of Cocoa in Ghana
Farmers Stand Up
Imagine a time in 1937 when Ghana was called the Gold Coast and was part of the British Empire. Cocoa farmers there were unhappy because European traders were paying very low prices for their cocoa. So, the farmers decided to stop selling their cocoa beans. This "strike" lasted for eight months!
The British government then stepped in. They set up a group called the Nowell Commission to find out what was going on. This group suggested that the government should help cocoa farmers by creating a special marketing board.
COCOBOD also cares about being a good neighbor. They work to make sure their actions help farmers, protect the environment, and benefit everyone involved with cocoa.
Early Boards (1940-1979)
West African Produce Control Board
In 1940, during World War II, the government created the West African Produce Control Board. This board bought cocoa from all West African countries at set prices. It helped manage cocoa sales during the war and then closed down in 1946.
Cocoa Marketing Board
The first real effort to control cocoa prices and production in Ghana happened in 1947. This was when the Ghana Marketing Board was created. It started with a lot of money, about 27 million Ghanaian cedi. This board worked until 1979. Then, it was changed and became the Ghana Cocoa Board, which we call COCOBOD today.
The Ghana Cocoa Board Today (1979-Present)
In 1984, COCOBOD went through some big changes. The government wanted the cocoa business to be more open to market forces. This meant COCOBOD's role became smaller. About 35,000 employees, which was 40% of its staff, lost their jobs.
Also, private companies started handling the transport of cocoa crops. The government stopped giving money to help farmers buy things like fertilizers, insecticides, and equipment. Some parts of cocoa processing also became private. A new payment system was also started in 1982 to pay farmers when they sold their dried cocoa beans.
Even with these changes, Ghana's government kept a strong hand in the cocoa business. Ghana is still one of the top three countries that produce the most cocoa in the world.
In 2019, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, another big cocoa producer, worked together. They agreed on a minimum price for cocoa. This was done to protect the farmers who grow the cocoa. In 2018, these two countries even formed a group called the Cocoa Initiative. People often call it "COPEC," like the famous oil group OPEC, but for cocoa!
A new step in cocoa processing happened in 2023. A company called Koa opened a second facility in Ghana. This shows how much they want to help make cocoa farming sustainable in the country.
Buying Fertilizers from Ghanaian Companies
In September 2019, the government of Ghana told COCOBOD to start buying fertilizers from companies within Ghana. This was part of a plan called "One-district One-factory." It meant that local companies now had the ability to make enough fertilizer for the country's needs.
COCOBOD's Family of Companies
COCOBOD has several important groups that work with it:
- Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana
- Seed Production Division
- Cocoa Health and Extension Division
- Quality Control Company
- Cocoa Marketing Company
See also
- Cocoa production in Ghana
- Agriculture in Ghana
- Canada Wheat Board, a similar organization that used to exist in Canada
