Case Study — Cocoa Cultivation in Ghana

The five cocoa-producing countries are —

1. Ghana
2. Togo
3. Nigeria
4. Indonesia
5. Malaysia.

Climatic requirements —

1. The cocoa trees need hot and wet climate but temperature should not exceed 27°C.
2. Annual rainfall should be about 150 cm and it should be well distributed throughout the year.
3. The trees can tolerate a short dry season but are sensitive to prolonged droughts.
4. The cacao tress when young require much heat but it should be protected from direct sunlight.
5. Strong winds are harmful as they may blow away unripe pods.

Soil conditions —

1. The cocoa trees can grown on a wide range of soils, provided they are fairly deep and well drained.
2. Loamy soil is ideal.

There are two harvesting seasons. The more important one is during the dry season, i.e. from September to January. The other harvesting season, known as the mid-crop, is from May to July.

Fermentation removes the unpleasant bitter taste of the fresh beans and also stops the seeds from germinating. During this process the typical chocolate flavour develops and the beans become brown.

The cocoa beans are cleaned and roasted. The roasted beans are run through a machine which cracks them. The leftover kernels are called cocoa-nibs. The cocoa-nibs are ground to powder. The heat produced due to grinding melts the cocoa-fat, also called cocoa-butter.

The cocoa-butter is useful for making chocolates. It is also an important raw material for the manufacture of cosmetics, drugs and some chemicals.

Five countries where cocoa beans are exported are —

1. The USA
2. Germany
3. The Netherlands
4. France
5. Spain

Ghana

Accra

hot, wet

tumbadors

machete

The cacao tree, when mature, grows to a height of about nine metres but the trees are pruned to a height of about six metres so that the cocoa pods can be plucked easily.

There has been decrease in cocoa production in Ghana due to following reasons:

1. predominance of old trees
2. lack of disease control
3. bad farm management
4. lack of government incentives

True

The main cocoa-producing regions are in the countries bordering the Gulf of Guinea in western Africa, south-east Asia, eastern Brazil, and the Caribbean mainland and a few islands.

Ghana’s economy is based on cash-crop agriculture.

The Harmattan wind is harmful for cocoa cultivation.

The colour of cocoa pods is bright yellow.

False

Corrected statement — Cacao tree is a native of Central and South America.

False

Corrected statement — Ghana is located in the tropical region, and hence provides suitable climate for cocoa cultivation.

False

Corrected statement — Cacao is cultivated on small farms.

True

True