Good rainfall to boost Ghana's cocoa harvest

Good rainfall patterns experienced in Ghana this year are expected to boost the country’s cocoa harvest beyond the revised output target of 850,000 metric tonnes for the 2013/2014 crop season.

Stephen Yaokuma Komla, Director-General of Ghana Meteorological Agency, speaking to B&FT in an interview explained that the rainfall pattern the country is experiencing this year has been far better than last year. 

“The forecast indicates that even in the minor season we will have our normal rains, and we expect farmers to have good harvest.

“Last year it was a little low throughout the country. But this year is better. The whole of the forest region, cocoa growing areas, had very good rains during the year,” the country’s Meteorological Agency’s Director-General said.

The country runs a two-cycle cocoa season consisting of the October-June main crop harvest that is mainly exported, and the July-September light crop, which is discounted to local grinders. 

Purchasing for the smaller light crop (July-September) officially started on July 4 while main crop purchases reached 879,000 metric tonnes in June 2014.

Ghana could achieve about 930,000 metric tonnes of cocoa beans, closed to the record outturn achieved in 2010/2011crop season.

Early this year, Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) projected a production target of 830,000 metric tonnes, which was later revised upward to 850,000 tonnes.

Cocoa output will exceed this season’s target due to “good” weather and an increase in plantings, according to the country’s industry regulator. 

“The weather has so far been good and other new farms have come on board, we have some good cocoa coming from the Volta Region,” said Noah Amenyah, Head of Corporate Affairs at Cocobod in a recent interview. “We can cross 850,000 tonnes this season.” 

In 2012, Ghana’s cocoa production declined from one million tonnes the previous year to eight hundred thousand tonnes.

The country produced 835,410 tonnes of cocoa during the 2012/13 crop year, down 5 percent on the previous season, cumulative provisional data from industry regulator Cocobod showed. 

The country produced an unprecedented one million tonnes of cocoa during the 2010/11crop-year, thanks to good weather and improved farming techniques; but production declined to about 850,000 tonnes in the 2011/12 season. 

Government announced a marginal increase in the producer price of cocoa for the 2012/13 season. The price was reviewed upward by 3.4 percent from GHȼ3,280 to GHȼ3,392 per tonne, even as farmers were faced with world cocoa prices declining from US$3,000 in 2011/12 to US$2,300 in 2012/13.

There are indications that government and Cocobod will leave the cocoa producer price unchanged at GH¢3,392 per tonne for the 2013/14 harvest. That price means farmers will be getting 75 percent of the free-on-board price.  

In addition to the higher producer price, farmers will continue to benefit from free improved seedlings, mass-spraying, and rehabilitation of farms as well as scholarships for their children.

Ghana is the second-biggest producer of cocoa in the world, with an estimated 800,000 people said to benefit directly from cocoa production.