Cocoa the mighty cash crop
Although cocoa is still a lot on our lands on Ghana, the farmers in the village do not keep as much of the money made from it as they used to. Gold is now taking over areas where the young men were previously planting cocoa. Young men have begun digging for gold as a way to find quick cash, because the cocoa we pride ourselves in takes years to grow and many are not willing to wait for that.
In some places the soil has become tired, it is uncertain if the fertilizer that the government has provided actually reaches those farmers in the deep forest or if it is barren from the sick cocoa trees.
Not that many have been cutting down any of the trees, the effort required to clear the land or replant the trees is greater than an elderly man who no longer has his children living with him to assist after they moved to the city in search of easier jobs.
We could consider the cashews and the rubber but can you really compare cashews to the history of such a bean like cocoa especially of Ghana is the country we're talking about and also most especially when a lot of people around the world is wants more and more chocolate every day.
Can I ask you a question, do you know someone who grows cocoa? There are basic logistics they can't afford to buy. That is the reality of it, whenever your government increases wages but the price of bread and transportation goes up at the same time. So the farmer is back to ground zero.
I don't know about other nations but they also do complain of climate changes, we have noticed in Ghana that our rainfall patterns has been changing. The dry season is staying longer than it usually does, what does it mean for Cocoa? Simple, if the cocoa pods do not receive moisture, they will get smaller, but as usual the trucks are lined up at the ports, so the cocoa beans will stay at the ports.