Cocoa Farming in Watreso, Ghana

Ashley Riley

Summer 2011

Introduction

On May 16th, 2011, I traveled to Ghana, West Africa for an anthropology course through

Missouri State University led by Dr. Margaret Buckner. While in Ghana, I completed an

ethnographic study of cocoa farming in the small village of Watreso. Through completing an

ethnographic study of cocoa farmers in Watreso, I hoped to learn about farming, selling, and

buying practices. Additionally, I hoped to learn whether cocoa farming in the area was Fair

Trade or Direct Trade Certified. If there was no certification, I wanted to learn if the local

farmers would benefit from Fair Trade or Direct Trade Certification.

Study Site

The anthropology course lasted three weeks and involved travelling to several different

parts of the country to learn about the culture and history of Ghana. Ten days were spent in

Watreso, where this ethnography took place. Watreso is a small village in Ghana’s Ashanti

Region and is approximately three hours south of Ghana’s second largest city, Kumasi. Ashanti

Twi is the main language spoken in the village; however, many residents also spoke some

English. When my research took place, the village did not have electricity and used three

boreholes for potable water. There was a clinic, a basic school, three cocoa buying companies,

and a market in the village. Many residents farmed cocoa to sell to the cocoa buying companies.

Other types of produce such as pineapples, coconuts, plantains, cassava, bananas, and yams were

farmed and consumed by the farmers’ families or sold at the local market.

Our host in Watreso, Antony Ayirebi, was my primary informant. Antony is known as

“Master” because he was the schoolmaster for forty years. Master owns several farms, and his

wife, Auntie K, also owns her own farms. Together, they own a store stocked with soft drinks,

candies, school supplies, and household necessities. Three of Master and Auntie K’s children

stayed with us during our time in Watreso. Master, Auntie K, and their three children were

integral parts of this ethnography.

Methods I began researching cocoa farming through casual interviews with Master. Most

interviews with Master took place while on walks through his farms or while sitting at his home

in the evenings. Master was very knowledgeable on cocoa farming and selling procedures and

provided me with a great deal of valuable information.

I continued my research of cocoa selling and buying procedures by interviewing the three

cocoa buying companies in Watreso: Armajaro, Manso Atwedie, and Akuafo Adamfo. Veronica,

one of Master’s daughters, translated the interviews. Although I felt there was much lost in

translation, I gathered useful and valuable information during these interviews.

Participant observation was used daily, especially when taking tours of resident’s farms,

while walking through the village in the evenings, and while watching residents prepare cocoa

beans to sell to the buying companies. Residents kindly invited me to their farms on their trips to

weed and insect the land. I was able to observe and assist with farming practices and ask farmers

about their work. I would walk through the village in the evenings and ask residents what types

of crops they grew and what they did with those crops after harvesting them. Several houses in

the village had giant sheets of metal or bamboo mats set outside their homes that were covered

with cocoa beans. This allowed me meet other cocoa farmers in the village and learn about their

farming experinces.

After returning to the United States, I continued my research online. Online resources

included the websites of the Ghana Cocoa Board, the Cocoa Marketing Company, the Armajaro

headquarters, and the Ghanaian Government. I attempted to contact Armajaro, but received no

response. I was unable to find online information regarding Manso Atwedie and Akuafo

Adamfo. This was not surprising because of the small size of these two companies.

Results and Discussion

The information on cocoa farming and selling practices discussed in this paper is a result

of the knowledge gathered from interviewing Master and the three cocoa buying companies in

Watreso, from participant observation, and from online research.

Farming cocoa and preparing it to sell is a lengthy process. Cocoa beans are a tree crop

grown only under the shade of other trees. The trees begin bearing fruit around the age of five

years and continue for thirty to forty years. Countless white blossoms cover cocoa trees, and

approximately 10% of those blossoms yielding cocoa pods. Cocoa pods are shaped like an

elongated melons, when they ripen they change from their original green hue to a yellow hue.

Once the cocoa pods are ripe, farmers remove them from the trees using machetes. The farmer

then splits the pod in half to collect approximately 30 bitter tasting cocoa beans. The beans are

surrounded by a white, sweet pulp that can be enjoyed by farmers and animals. After the cocoa

pods are split open, the beans and pulp are wrapped in banana leaves or placed in buckets and

left to ferment for approximately six days. During this fermentation process, heat allows the

bacteria and yeast to multiply, which gives the cocoa beans their chocolate flavor (Cocoa Facts

and Figures). After fermenting for six days, the beans are spread out on bamboo mats and sun

dried for another six days. When the cocoa beans become dark brown, they are ready to be sold

to the farmer’s preferred cocoa buying company. When interviewed, Master explained that there were three cocoa buying companies in Watreso.

These companies were Armajaro, Manso Atwedie, and Akuafo Adamfo. Each company’s main employee

is known as the recorder. Recorders are responsible for ensuring the quality of the beans along with

placing them in burlap bags, weighing them, and paying the farmers. The recorder places cocoa beans in

burlap bags and weighs each of the bags to 64 kilograms (141 pounds). Master explained that the

government mandated weight is 62.5 kilograms and did not know why the cocoa companies took more

kilograms of beans than they paid for. Cocoa recorders purchase the 64 KG bags of cocoa from farmers

for 200 Ghana Cedis (approximately $100), a price set by the Ghanaian Government. Each Watreso

farmer sells approximately 10 bags each year to their preferred cocoa buying company, according to

Master.

Most farmers in Watreso use herbicide and pesticide on their farms. Farmers spend 6

Ghana Cedis (GHC) per bottle of factory made herbicide and use approximately twenty-four

bottles per year. The spraying machines used for the herbicide and pesticide come in two main

forms: one is powered by manpower and a motor powers the other. The motorized spraying

machine can be very dangerous to farmers, often causing fires while strapped to the backs of

farmers. This has happened to Master on a few occasions. In the past, farmers would weed with

machetes; however, many older farmers and farmers who hold other forms of employment use

herbicide to save much needed time and energy. Most farmers in Watreso have several other

necessary daily activities that make weeding by hand impossible. Thus, there is a strong reliance

on herbicide and pesticide.

Using herbicides and pesticides in motorized spraying machines is not the only dangerous

task behind cocoa farming. The chemicals used in these products are harmful and often are

carcinogenic (Tijani, 2006). Accidents happen with machetes while cutting down cocoa pods.

There are also dangers when transporting cocoa to buying companies because farmers often have

no form of transportation other than carrying the heavy bags by hand (Cocoa: A Labor Intensive

Crop). Additionally, while carrying bags of cocoa beans to cocoa buying companies there is a

possibility of being robbed by bandits. Finally, in some villages, cocoa farmers are forced to

work under slave labor conditions. Issues of bandits and slave labor conditions were not found

to be present in Watreso but are in other parts of the country.

When workers from Armajaro, Manso Atwedie, and Akuafo Adamfo were interviewed,

they confirmed the information I had learned from my interview with Master. All three workers

stated they pay 200 GHC per bag of cocoa, which weighed 64 KG, despite the Ghanaian

government setting the weight to 62.5 KG. Each recorder also said most farmers sold

approximately ten bags of cocoa each year, the same as Master had mentioned. Each recorder

interviewed stated they were paid on commission.

There were a few differences noted between three cocoa buying companies. The

Armajaro building was approximately three times larger than the building for Manso Atwedie.

This differed greatly from the very small building used by Akuafo Adamfo, which was only a

fraction of the size of Armajaro and Manso Atwedie. The recorder from Akuafo Adamfo did

most of his business outside of the small building and only stored bags of cocoa beans and his

supplies inside. Another difference was the number of workers for each recorder of the three

companies. Armajaro had many more workers than Manso Atwedie and Akuafo Adamfo

combined. Armajaro had at least 15 workers the day of my visit, all of who were working

diligently to sort and bag cocoa beans before lifting the 64kg bags onto their heads and packing

them into the semi-trailer waiting outside. Manso Atwedie had less than five workers, all of

whom were playing cards beneath a tree in front of their building. Only the recorder was present

at Akuafo Adamfo. Before the interview, he was napping on a bench outside the small building

while waiting for farmers to bring their cocoa to him.

The recorder from Armajaro spoke English very well, which allowed the interview to go

in depth about cocoa selling and buying practices. During the interview, I learned about the

specific process Armajaro follows to buy cocoa. After the farmers prepare the cocoa beans, they

bring them to Armajaro. The company’s laborers then ensure the cocoa is in proper condition

and give it a grade. In order to be in the proper condition, the cocoa must not be molded, rotted,

or over dried. The grading process involves measuring the moisture content of the cocoa, with

only a rating of six to seven and a half being acceptable. If the number is above or below this

rating, the cocoa must be reconditioned. Size also plays a large factor in purchasing cocoa beans.

Cocoa beans are sifted through different sheets of metal with holes varying in dimension to

separate the beans into different burlap bags depending on their sizes. The size of the beans is

labeled on each bag. When a cocoa bag is ready to be shipped away from Watreso, a silver tag is

placed on the corner, signifying all requirements have been satisfied.

Several other questions were answered during the interview with the Armajaro recorder.

He would not say how much he was paid; however he mentioned he was paid by the Cocoa

Marketing Company. Armajaro is owned by the Cocoa Marketing Company (CMC). When

asked about the CMC, the recorder stated, “We buy it [cocoa] from them [Watreso farmers], and

they [Cocoa Marketing Company] find a buyer.” When asked how much the Cocoa Marketing

Company sold the bags of cocoa for, the recorder mentioned the company refuses to tell their

employees how much they sell bags of cocoa beans for because employees would want to ask for

raises and “the Cocoa Marketing Company is interested in profits.”

When the Armajaro recorder was asked why he filled bags to 64 kilograms instead of

62.5, he replied “cocoa shrinks.” He explained some cocoa is lost during shipping, and some

beans are not in the proper condition to use once they reach the processing stage. The extra 1.5

KG is a cushion to ensure processing plants get all 62.5 KG of cocoa beans they purchased from

the recorders.

Fair Trade Certification was the last topic of the interview with the Armajaro recorder. In

order to be considered Fair Trade, companies must be officially Fair Trade Certified. Fair Trade

Certification not only ensures fair wages, but it also has several benefits for the farmers, the local

community, the consumers, and the environment. The certification allows companies and

farmers to begin taking out the middlemen that stand between the farmers and consumers.

Additionally, the certification prohibits slave and child labor.

The recorder for Armajaro was the only cocoa recorder of the three in Watreso who said

his company was Fair Trade. The recorder said, “We practice it and we talk to farmers about

their practices.” The recorder also mentioned he and his workers speak with farmers about

farming practices, adding, “Most especially child labor, we are against it.” He ended by

speaking of the programs Armajaro plans to establish to end the worst cases of child labor.

After cross-checking this information, I have deducted that Armajaro is not Fair Trade

Certified but does have several programs to help cocoa farmers. While Armajaro is working to

decrease the use of child labor, they do not hold the Fair Trade Certification. Fair Trade USA, a

non-profit organization that can provide certification to companies, warns “cocoa farmers are

often forced to sell their harvest to middlemen who rig scales or misrepresent prices.” Armajaro

does not rig their scales; however, they do take more cocoa from farmers than the government

mandated weight. Therefore, Armajaro is not Fair Trade Certified but does provide farmers with

better opportunities than many other un-certified companies.

Similar to Fair Trade, Direct Trade is another idea a company can use to improve

farmers’ wages and improve livelihoods. Direct Trade completely closes the gap between the

farmer and the consumer. Instead of relying on middlemen, chocolate making companies buy

cocoa directly from the farmers. According to Askinosie Chocolate, a Direct Trade Chocolate

Company in Springfield, Missouri, cocoa farmers are not allowed to use pesticides or herbicides

during the farming process. Direct Trade would prove to be an issue for farmers in Watreso who

have more daily focuses than simply weeding and ridding farms of pests.

The second cocoa recorder interviewed was from Manso Atwedie. The man spoke very

little English. This made Veronica’s translating vital to the interview. The recorder from Manso

Atwedie said the cocoa he buys from Watreso farmers is shipped to Kumasi, where it would be

sold and shipped for a price of which he was not aware. He stated he does not get as much

business as Armajaro, even though he buys cocoa beans for the same price. When asked how

much he earned from buying cocoa and why it was less than Armajaro, the recorder informed me

the pay was based on commission. He was unaware if there were any programs created by

Manso Atwedie to educate farmers on child labor or any other matters. Finally, when asked if his

company was Fair Trade Certified, he stated he had never heard of the term.

The third cocoa recorder interviewed was from Akuafo Adamfo. After he purchases

cocoa beans for the same price as the other recorders, he sells them to Manso Adubia, a larger

company, instead of shipping them to a port like the other two companies. Unlike the other two

interviewees, the Akuafo Adamfo recorder informed me he is paid 34 GHC per bag of cocoa

purchased. Like the Manso Atwdie recorder, he was unaware of Fair Trade.

After returning from Ghana, I began researching Armajaro, Manso Atwedie, and Akuafo

Adamfo online. From this research, I found Armajaro to not only be the largest cocoa buying

company in Watreso, but one of the largest cocoa buying companies in Ghana. Armajaro is

known for supporting farmers and widely praised for their community projects in many

Ghanaian newspaper articles. I was unable to find any information on Manso Atwedie and

Akuafo Adamfo, and was not able to find information regarding incentives or community

projects by these two companies.

Cocoa buying companies giving incentives and helping communities was a popular

subject online. On the official Ghana Government website there was an article regarding the

Produce Buying Company (PBC). The PBC works with the Cocoa Marketing Company, which

owns Armajaro. The article mentioned the PBC honoring farmers who had sold between 400 and

4000 bags of cocoa in the past year. There were two farmers who sold 4000 bags of cocoa each.

They received six packets of roofing sheets, a motorized spraying machine, a 32 inch LCD

television set, and other special incentives and recognition (Ghana Government). Four thousand

bags compared to the ten bags sold by Watreso farmers is a remarkable difference.

After researching the three companies in Watreso, I found Kuapa Kokoo, Ghana’s

largest Fair Trade cocoa company. Kuapa Kokoo is listed as a Fair Trade cocoa cooperative in

the official Fair Trade Annual Review. The Kuapa Kokoo headquarters are located in Kumasi,

Ghana. This Fair Trade company purchases cocoa from farmers for higher prices than other

farmers receive, and create programs similar to Armajaro to ensure social, economic, and

political growth. Kuapa Kokoo ensures no child labor is used. This company also donates

exercise books to local schools, along with wellington boots, rice, and other supplies to their

farmers. This company keeps track of every farmer who sells cocoa to their company, ensuring

the original location of every cocoa bean ever purchased is accounted for. Every cocoa bean was

grown under fantastic conditions, and was purchased fairly. Kuapa Kokoo farmers also own 45%

of the shares in Divine Chocolate, a company that only uses Kuapa Kokoo cocoa beans. This

allows every farmer to have a voice in the company (Kuapa Kokoo).

Stated in a letter written to the Food and Drug Administration from the Chocolate

Master’s Association, cocoa beans change hands several times while they undergo many

processes such as cleaning, drying, and grading. This makes it nearly impossible to know the

identity of the growers of the cocoa beans (Chocolate Manufacturers Association). This is one of

the many problems Divine Chocolate and Kuapa Kokoo eliminate by being Fair Trade Certified.

This letter emphasized a single shipment of cocoa to the United States may contain cocoa beans

from thousands of farms. In this letter, the CMA proposed a change to FDA rules which would

allow the reporting of cocoa recorders’ names and location to be optional. If the FDA were to

keep the reporting of cocoa recorder’s names and locations mandatory, there could be regulations

placed on where the cocoa is being purchased, and what conditions that cocoa was farmed under.

This would make cocoa farming across the globe one step closer to being completely Fair Trade.

I continued my research by compiling statistics from the official Hershey’s Chocolate

website to see exactly how many cocoa beans go into a standard bar of chocolate. One cocoa tree

produces a maximum of thirty pods, which contains approximately 1000 beans. There are 500

cocoa beans per pound of Hershey’s Chocolate. Each pound of chocolate yields ten standard size

bars of Hershey’s Chocolate. One cocoa tree can produce enough cocoa beans to make two

pounds of chocolate, or twenty chocolate bars. This means one bag of cocoa beans is produced

from two cocoa trees, which yields 2000 beans, and can create forty standard sized bars of

Hershey’s Chocolate (Chocolate Math). Since farmers in Watreso sell an average of ten bags per

year, they are producing enough cocoa to make an average of 400 chocolate standard sized

chocolate bars.

CONCLUSION

Cocoa farming is not easy work. Cocoa trees are difficult to take care of, requiring shade,

transplanting, and weeding. When cocoa pods ripen, there are many steps until they can be sold

including collecting, gutting, fermenting, sun drying, packaging, and transporting to a cocoa

buying station. Cocoa beans then must go through very strict tests to determine whether they are

in proper condition before being weighed for purchase. Farmers are often cheated during this

final process, with bags being purchased at prices and weights that do not match government

standards.

After interviewing cocoa farmers and recorders and supplementing this information with

online research, I have deducted that Armajaro, Manso Atwedie, and Akufoo Adanfo in Watreso,

Ghana are not Fair Trade or Direct Trade Certified. Armajaro does have special incentives and

programs similar to Fair Trade companies; however, does not hold the certification and is not

entirely fair to farmers. Manso Atwedie and Akufoo Adanfo were too small to be able to offer

similar incentives to farmers. Although farmers in Watreso are not cheated greatly, they are not

receiving the income and incentives they could be if the local companies were Fair or Direct

Trade. Direct Trade is also not being utilized in Watreso, and is simply not an option because

farmers would be unable to stop relying on herbicides and pesticides.

Cocoa farming in Watreso is on a much smaller scale than in many other areas where

cocoa is farmed. There is an enormous difference between the ten bags of cocoa a Watreso

farmer sells per year and the 4000 bags of cocoa beans produced by the farmers who were

recognized by the Produce Buying Company. From my research on Hershey Chocolate statistics,

I have come to the conclusion that it would take nearly 8000 trees to produce 4000 bags of cocoa

beans. Farmers in Watreso do not own enough cocoa trees to produce 4000 bags of cocoa beans

in one year like the farmers rewarded by the Produce Buying Company.

Direct Trade is not an option in Watreso; however, Fair Trade could be a viable option

and would benefit the farmers. If the Produce Buying Company (the owner of Armajaro) and the

companies of Manso Atwedie and Akufoo Adanfo were to become Fair Trade Certified, farmers

in Watreso would benefit greatly. Fair Trade would ensure that cocoa is not overweighed, that a

proper wage is given, and that slave labor is not used. Thus, Watreso would benefit from a Fair

Trade company being located in the village.

Works Cited

Chocolate Manufactures Association. 30 August 2002. Letter to Dockets Management Branch.

<http://www.fda.gov>.

Cocoa: a labour intensive crop. 2010. International Cocoa Initiative

<http://www.cocoainitiative.org/en/resources/cocoa-a-labour-intensive-crop>

Cocoa Facts and Figures. 2011. <http://www.worldcocoafoundation.org/learn-about-

cocoa/cocoa-facts-and-figures.html>.

Government of Ghana. 2011. <http://www.ghana.gov.gh>.

Hershey's Story. 20 July 2011 <http://www.hersheystory.org>.

Kuapa Kokoo. 21 July 2011 <http://www.kuapakokoo.com/>.

Tijani, A. 2006. Pesticide Use Practices and Safety Issues: The Case of Cocoa Farmers in Ondo

State, Nigeria. 183-190.

The next few pages include a few of the photos I took during my research in Watreso, Ghana.

Cocoa trees are covered by countless white blossoms. Only 10 % of these blossoms yield cocoa

pods.

Cocoa beans being sun-dried in Watreso, Ghana.

A photo of sun-dried cocoa beans.

Armajaro sorts cocoa beans by size using grates with holes varying in size.

Armajaro places a silver tag on the corner of bags in which all requirements have been satisfied.

After cocoa is tested to ensure all requirements are made, it is stacked in a storage room before

being shipped.

A photo from inside the Armajaro storage and sorting facility. This photo pictures the scale used

to weigh cocoa, an overflowing bag of cocoa, and the truck used to transport cocoa to the port.

The Armajaro truck used to transport cocoa beans to the port.

An Armajaro worker posing for a photo before carrying a 64 KG bag of cocoa to the truck.

The smallest Cocoa buying company in Watreso, Akuafo Adamfo