Impact of the Activities of Cocoa Licensed Buying Companies on Quality Control of Cocoa: A Case Study in Sefwi Boako and Bekwai Cocoa Districts

• Main Authors: Eric Yaw Paku, Daniel Owusu Kyeremateng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Africa Development and Resources Research Institute (ADRRI) 2016-10-01
• Series: Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences
• Online Access: https://journals.adrri.org/index.php/adrrijafs/article/view/249

Cocoa is Ghana’s main export crop and the country is known for its quality cocoa beans leading to a price premium on the international market. Despite the good efforts by Ghana’s cocoa and the efforts made by COCOBOD to maintain quality, there are indications that quality can be compromised due to the operations of the Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs). This study aimed at assessing the influence of Licensed Buying Companies on the quality control of cocoa in sefwi Boako and Bekwai cocoa districts. From the results, it was observed that, the operations and the competition among the LBCs have influence on the quality of beans produced, most especially in the area of fermentation and drying. However, the positive influence on quality of cocoa outweighed the negative effect. The cordial relationship between the farmers and the LBCs helped the farmers got profit. It was observed that farmers benefited from the competition among the LBCs. Farmers are motivated by the LBCs in different forms (Subsidy, loan or credit) and also have a choice to select the LBCs he/she would like to sell his/her beans to. Concerning how LBCs handle cocoa, it was observed that seventy-eight percent kept the beans in the depot for one week before hauling to the port for subsequent export while about twenty-two percent kept the beans for two weeks before hauling. Majority of the Licensed Buying Companies (seventy-eight percent) disinfected their storage structure every month.