Some cocoa farmers in the country have filed a compliant with COCOBOD to fast-track resolving issues of deforestation, child labor, unsafe pesticide use and more importantly, payment of their living allowance.
This action by the cocoa farmers aims to hold COCOBOD to account testing a grievance mechanism that the regulator set up as part of conditions for a $600 million loan arranged by the African Development Bank in 2019.
The farmers, 30 in number contend that despite COCOBOD’s control and regulation over the cocoa sector, the industry for over a decade has grappled with these challenges.
For them, these circumstances are detrimental to the general welfare of cocoa farmers and their families because COCOBOD has failed to adequately monitor and address these concerns.
One of the farmers, Phidelia Gameli told Accra based Citi fm that, improvement in the welfare of cocoa farmers should be one of COCOBOD’s top priority.
The complaint from the farmers is being spearheaded by the University of Ghana School of Law, the Civic Response non-profit organisation, and the Chicago-based Corporate Accountability Lab.
“Despite efforts to improve environmental sustainability and social well-being within COCOBOD projects, major issues persist. Deforestation, an inadequately paced shift to agroforestry, the excessive use of harmful and toxic pesticides and other chemicals, and hazardous child labour are mainstays of the cocoa industry in Ghana, many of which persist at least in part because of opaque supply chains and the low price cocoa companies pay for cocoa. All of this must change”, the complaint read in parts.
Despite concerted efforts by COCOBOD and other governmental agencies to address the growing trend of cocoa smuggling, little progress has been made in curbing the illicit trade.
Ghana lost an alarming 120,000 metric tons of cocoa beans to smuggling between 2022 and 2023.
This significant loss poses a major threat to Ghana’s cocoa industry, a vital sector of the national economy.
The smuggling of cocoa beans, a long-standing issue in Ghana, appears to have worsened in recent years, driven largely by the allure of favourable prices in neighbouring countries.
In 2018, the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) established an Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) that includes a grievance and redress mechanism.
The ESMS seeks to provide a structured framework for identifying and managing potential environmental, social, health and safety risks, impacts and opportunities of all operations in the cocoa sector.”
The ESMS and the grievance and redress mechanism apply to “COCOBOD, its subsidiaries and divisions, productivity enhancing programmes, projects and activities, contractors, service providers, consultants and parties associated with any of the operations of the Board.
source: citinewsroom
