The Sustainability of the Cocoa Industry Taking Production and Consumption Perspectives

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