Abstract:
The study sought to assess the sustainability of cocoa production and consumption in
Ghana in the last twenty years (1997-2017). The objective of this study was to
examine the trend in cocoa production and consumption in Ghana (1997-2017),
evaluate the factors that drive production of cocoa over several years andinvestigate
the challenges confronting cocoa production.To address the stated specific objectives,
a quantitative research design was employed for the study. Regarding the sampling
approach, random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were adopted for the
study. A total sample of one thousand six hundred and ninety (1690) respondents was
used and data was collected with a structured questionnaire. STATA was used for the
data analysis. The analysis comprised both correlation and descriptive statistics. The
study showed that cocoa production was lowest in 1997/1998 with a production rate
of 395,674 tonnes and reached its peak of 1,012,839 tonnes in 2010/2011. Poor access
to credit facilities; high cost and poor availability of chemical inputs and spraying
machines making cocoa trees affected with diseases such as Black Pod were ranked
highest as factors thataffect cocoa production in Ghana. A significant relationship
exists between diseases such as Black Pod; unavailability of chemicals; high cost of
labour, poor access to credit and cocoa production. The study concluded that poor
access to credit facilities; high cost and poor availability of chemical inputs and
spraying machines are factors that greatly affect cocoa production in Ghana. This
would help government and other players in the cocoa industry to make cocoa
farming attractive especially to the youth by sensitizing the people about the
opportunities involved in undertaking cocoa farming in Ghana.
Keywords: Cocoa, consumption, farming, Ghana, production, sustainability
