Cocoa Farmers Discuss Sector Challenges

Dr Duffuor in a hand shake with some farmers

Over 200 representatives of cocoa farmers groups across the country have gathered to discuss challenges in the sector as part of efforts to improve production.

Though Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has announced that attainment of one million tonnes cocoa production target ahead of the 2012 year, there are still pertinent issues which the farmers and other stakeholders think need to be addressed.

In line with this, COCOBOD in partnership with Sustainable Tree Crop Programme (STCP) of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture with support from the European Unioin has organized a two-day Cocoa Farmers’ Forum at the Kofi Annan ICT Center in Accra.

Themed, “Cocoa Farmers: Contributing towards policy formulation and implementation,” the forum would also create the platform for cocoa farmers to provide inputs into policy formulation.

What makes the forum unique, according to the organizer, is the opportunity to discuss the pertinent challenges with respect to cocoa production as perceived by the farmers to come out with proposed farmer-led actions to address these challenges and how the cocoa value chain can be improved and sustained.

The programme, which is being organized under the Cocoa Sector Support Program Phase II (CSS II) funded by the European Union and implemented jointly by the COCOBOD and
the Sustainable Tree Crops Program of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
who have initiated different interventions including facilitating community level self organization of farmers.

The forum, which is the second of its kind, will also facilitate the integration of cocoa farmer groups and associations into sector policy discussions and formulation and also create a nation awareness especially among cocoa farmers to be part of decision-making towards achieving national production target, as well as enlighten policy makers on farmers’ perspectives on needed actions for improved productivity.

The first forum organized last year in the Ashanti region hosted 48 cocoa farmers,
representing 15 districts from Western, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions as well as
representatives of stakeholders including COCOBOD and the Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus
Disease Control Unit.

Based on the outcome of the first forum, there was community level engagement of farmers under the Cocoa Sector Support Programme with participation from the leadership of the community farmer groups as well as representatives of the Ghana Cocoa Coffee Sheanut Farmers Association and this year’s forum is expected to build on this initiative.

Isaac Gyamfi, Country Manager for the Sustainable Tree Crops Program International Institute of Tropical Agric was excited about the programme and said the approach will help to gradually develop the culture of making cocoa farmers and their groups more responsible and less dependent on state efforts and rather perceive state support for the cocoa sector as complimentary.

He expressed his outfit’s commitment to continue to partner with farmers in various
programmes to seek innovative farmer-led actions that impact policies on cocoa for increased cocoa production to impact the income and livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their families.

Sustainable Tree Crop Programme is a public-private partnership and innovative platform that seeks to generate growth in rural income among tree crop farmers in an environmentally and socially responsible manner in West and Central Africa.

The programme is managed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and
provides a framework for collaboration between farmers, the global cocoa industry, local
private sector, national governments, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), research institutes, and development investors.

By Emelia Ennin Abbey

Ahwoi Suggests Water, Sanitation Sector Merger

A PROPOSAL has been made for Ghana to consider merging the water, sanitation and hygiene sectors to be handled by a single institution.

Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi, a local governance expert who made the proposal explained that water, sanitation and environmental hygiene are closely related therefore it would be best if they were treated as a single sector.

“The common thread running through them is water. Lack of or too little water causes the sanitation and environmental hygiene problems.”

He consequently noted that it would be necessary to make the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing (MWRWH), the agency responsible for the three sectors.

Making the statement at this year’s Ghana Water Forum themed “Water and Sanitation Services Delivery in a Rapidly Changing Urban Environment,” he called for decentralization of water provision to the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

The management development lecturer asked for the engagement of independent agencies to handle the various aspects of production, transmission and distribution of water.

“Because of the large cost and investment outlays, it is possible to have different agencies or organisations handling the different aspects of water operations,” he said.

Another option for the management of urban water, he mentioned would be to ‘regionalise’ the system where the regional water management systems could be clustered around the production locations and managed by separate bodies.

“That could be another way of breaking the monopoly of the Ghana Water Company Limited over urban water supply, one of the critical issues at the heart of the problem of urban water in Ghana.”

President Mills in a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of Water Resources Works and Housing, Alban Bagbin noted that though the Millennium Development Goals of the UN required that countries like Ghana reach a target of 76 percent for water and 53 percent for sanitation by 2015, government is aiming at 85 percent coverage.

He urged all MMCEs to implement the relevant bye-laws to ensure that all households had access to appropriate sanitation facilities to address the deplorable sanitation problem that nation faces.

Samuel Appenteng of the Association of Ghana Industries expressed the readiness of the business community to forge a stronger partnership with government in the provision of accessible water.

By Emelia Ennin Abbey

Furniture Fair Ends In Accra

A one-stop shop to promote the furniture and décor industry has ended in Accra offering visitors access to the latest styles and trends of modern furnishing designs.
The four-day event, organized by XODUS Communications, an events management company, specialized in fairs, theater production and marketing showcase home furniture, office furniture and commercial furniture.
Operators who offer interiors decoration services also displayed their services and employed different strategies such as distributing flyers to attract customers.
Richard Abbey Jnr., Chief Executive officer of XODUS Communications, shortly after the fair, said the event which was the second to be organized by his company was designed to serve as a marketing tool for offering ample business opportunities for players.
The second Furniture and décor fair which was built on the success of last year’s, featured a seminar on project investment where resource persons took exhibitors and the public through project financing options.
Some renowned furniture companies, which participated in the fair, included Simbin’s Furniture, Woodeck Company Limited, Tekua, Nest Furniture Company Limited and Woodjoynts limited.
Others in the décor industry showing off their latest products and seeking business opportunities are KETS DÉCORand Curtains, Design Xpress, Mosaix Interior, Ceiling Professionals Limited and Hortserve Lanscapes Consult.
Ronald Kojo Binder, Chief Executive Officer of Simbin’s Furniture, described last year’s fair as phenomenal as it boosted his company’s business.
“We picked up large customer base and the follow-up was good, we hope it would be bigger this year.”
After seven years of being in the furniture industry, Simbin’s, which generally deals in imported products from the Unites States, has since the last two years commenced the manufacture of local furniture for which 70 per cent are exported.
Audry Forson of Ketura, producers of handcrafted furniture and décor, participated in the maiden fair but was not happy with the outcome.
“We decided to be at this year’s because we can see the organizers have improved on the last fair and so far it’s been good.”
Ketura has been in business for the past ten years and mainly exported its hand-made wood work.
The company that has grown from producing only traditional handicraft pieces to contemporary African furniture and decor and is now a growing business in the Ghanaian economy and now sells some of its products on the domestic market.

By Emelia Ennin

When Gas Stations Run Dry…

Many Ghanaians, especially automobile users, who mostly use gas as their main source of fuel, are facing acute shortage of gas across the country.

Godwin Agbe, a taxi driver with over 12 years experience said “this is the worse time in my life since I started driving.”

The domestic gas users also move from one gas station to the other with their containers, popularly referred to as ‘cylinder’-probably because of the shape, but they are met with the ‘No Gas’ sign.

Jonathan Baidoo, who works at the Anyaa gas station in the Ga East Municipality was seen relaxing in a chair on Wednesday afternoon at a time when every employee is expected to be busy at work.

He said “we have always been the last resort for people when gas run out of the system but now we have not had any supply for three weeks.”

At another gas station, customers had lined up with their empty cylinders hoping to get the product while others have taken the phone numbers of the attendants.

“I receive phone calls from all sorts of people but I keep telling them to call the next day. I am not sure when we will get supply but we are in constant contact with the delivers.”

At the Odogornor gas station, Sarah Mobi said, “The supply has been erratic, we run out shortly after getting a supply because of the shortage and then we come to square one and we have no idea when the next one will come.

After failing to report at her workplace for two consecutive days, Sarah decided to buy two gas containers for her family which depend on gas for cooking, heating food and sometimes lighting.

She is however happy the shortage has not caused an increase in prices at the gas stations.

“I have always feared that a gas shortage would cause a jump in the prices but I am glad it is not occurring here in Ghana. The institutions responsible for the regular and frequent supply of this essential good must resolve this problem once and for all.”

The supply interruptions are becoming more frequent and increasingly difficult to manage but government says it is putting in place a comprehensive programme to solve the problem.

The various agencies responsible for gas importation, storage and delivery say the shortage can be attributed to the rise in the usage and demand of consumers especially the increasing usage of the product by commercial taxi drivers.

Experts have however called for the opening of separate terminals for commercial users who would have to pay more money than domestic users.

Taxi drivers have reacted sharply to the proposal for separate gas terminals to distinguish between domestic and commercial users.

Bright Koomson, a taxi driver who had to abandon his vehicle at Odorkor to carry his empty cylinder to Burma Camp said, “The proposal will not solve the problem.”

With his shirts drenched in sweat, Mr. Koomson explained that he converted from the use of petrol to gas after a friend told him it was more affordable “but my sweat can tell you that I am losing more than I have bargained for.”

The father of two used to fill his fuel tank with GH¢20 worth of diesel before setting out for work every day “but with the gas shortage I spend less than GH¢10 and it made life a bit easy for me.”

The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) noted that the constant shortage of LPG is as a result of the lack of adequate storage facilities.

Data available at the Ministry of Energy show that the nation needs 1,000 metric cubic tons of gas to meet its daily consumption.

According to the National Petroleum Authority, the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), which is the only LPG production facility in the country, produces just a fraction of the daily consumption.

Part of the problem has been blamed on the nation’s inability to establish a gas processing plant after it discovered oil in commercial quantities.

It is indeed sad that after several months of drilling oil from the Jubilee oilfield, which have 600 million barrels of proven reserves and a potential for about 1.5 billion barrels of oil, the nation continues to flare the associated gas.

Apart from the waste and loss in revenue, the emission of dangerous chemicals into the atmosphere, could pose serious health problems to Ghanaians and also contribute to global warming.

That is why some people have called for the immediate construction of a national gas processing plant to make gas a major source of energy in Ghana

However, Alex Mould, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NPA, indicated that the recent shortage of LPG on the market is as a result of improper distribution of the product.

“The NPA is going to be very strict on distributors to ensure that they obey the rules and regulations so that we will be able to alleviate some of the problems Ghanaians are facing.”

After touring TOR with some journalists to acquaint himself with the LPG situation at the refinery, Mr. Mould explained that Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) has tanks that can take 6,500 metric tonnes while the refinery can only produce 250 tonnes a day.

The NPA boss revealed that his outfit was considering how the jetty, the pipe lines and the tanks at TOR could be expanded, adding that it was also planning to build another storage depot outside Tema since the jetty at Tema is the only one in the country.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) at NPA, Yaro Kasambata is optimistic the frequent gas shortages could be minimized, if not eliminated, if the storage and distribution of LPG is decentralized.

Labour experts estimate that the shortage of gas is costing the nation millions of cedis as a people leave their jobs to search for gas.

However, several people, especially operatives in the charcoal industry, producers and truck drivers, middlemen who buy from the producers and sellers have taken advantage of the situation to make huge profits.

By Emelia Ennin published on the Business Guide website wwww.businessguideghana.com

Dog Business Booms

The craze for exotic breed of man’s best friend, the dog, has become a lucrative business in Ghana in recent times.

Unconfirmed reports indicate that there are over 150 dog breeders engaged in the dog business in Accra alone.

Young boys are seen in traffic intersections with puppies in hands while areas near the Achimota forest, Cantonment, East Legon and Teshie are the main centres for the dog trade.CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE checks revealed that the price for a puppy depending on the breed sells between GH¢500 and GH¢2,000.

“The dog business is a growing one. More people are appreciating the price of a puppy which until recently was compared to the price of a cow when mentioned,” said Robert Nicole, owner of Roni’s Kennel, one of the leading breeders in the country.

Mr Nicole, who had his first set of dogs- a German shepherd and a Rottweiler- in his teens, never thought of keeping dogs for business.“It was more of a hobby,” he said but after he crossed his female dogs with the male dogs of the same breed of a friend, he had seven puppies.

Though he lost five of the puppies, he later sold them for GH¢100 each when they were eight weeks old.For the second time, he had eight puppies of which six survived and then when they were old enough to be weaned off their mother, he sold them.Then he realized his passion for dogs could turn into a profitable business.

Today, Mr. Nicole owns a big kennel with over 36 breeds of dogs ranging from Boerboel, Mastiff of different types such as Miniature Bull Terrier, Neopolitan, and the English Mastiff to the American Pit Bull, Great Dane, Chihuahua and the Japanese Tosu.

Since the dogs need enough space to exercise, they are reared on two plots of land in Dansoman, East Legon, Koforidua and Weija where 12 employees handle the care and sales of the dogs.

The company also makes use of the services of external trainers and private service providers who groom the dogs.

From four outlets in East Legon, Osu, Kasoa and Spintex, the dogs are sold to anybody who loves dogs.

Mr. Nicole’s customers include government officials, former presidents and their wives, expatriates, ministers, entrepreneurs and the general public.

The company also sells to security companies who prefer older dogs and specific breeds such as the Boerboel and the Ridge Buck.

The price for a puppy depending on the breed sells between $200 and $300, Mr Nicole stated.To attract customers, Roni’s Kennel resorts to various marketing strategies including word of mouth such as recommendations from customers to others.

Besides, the CEO also researches constantly to keep trend with the bred in the system.

He advised buyers and potential buyers to make purchases from recognized breeders who would give them quality for their money.

Among other business such as Roni’s Properties and Roni’s Cleaners, the 33-year-old also owns a dog food outlet, which is the main agent of an American and a British company for Ghana and West Africa.

In future, Mr Nicole wants to expand his business to Takoradi in the Western region, Ghana’s oil hub and Kumasi in the Ashanti region.

“I also want to bring in a plant that would manufacture and process dog food,” said the young CEO who also plans to set up a Ghana Kennel Club which would seek to wipe out breeders who are not “doing the right thing.

”More demand is expected from the growing desire of individuals to buy dogs for keep as pets or for safety and the increasing security companies in the country.

But the President of the Private Veterinary Association, Dr Jonathan Amakye-Anim, is worried that some dog breeders keep dogs in terrible conditions and are not following best practices in the business.“They do not keep the pedigree.

They just cross any type of dog,” he said and cautioned dog breeders to register with qualified veterinary officers as well as ensure that vaccination was done by certified vet surgeons.

Dog owners must feed their dogs with the right kind of food, “the sick and energetic dog must not be fed on the same food”, he advised.A dog trainer, B. J. Kofi Cole, who has been taming dogs for years, believes the dog business would get better with more education.

The expert, who can make wild dogs calm and vice versa, said, “There are five commands a dog can obey but I can generate over 500 commands out of this.”By Emelia Ennin posted on www.dailyguideghana.com

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The Last Man Goes With The Last Tree

30 years ago when Kojo Adu was growing up at Nsemere in the Wenchi Municipality of the Brong Ahafo Region, there were giant trees everywhere.

Kojo loved the green tall trees and the fresh air and has fond memories of the area. He used to run around as well as take long walk near the forest on his way to the family’s farm.

Today, the story is different, considerable portions of the once-extensive forests have been destroyed.

Large portions of the natural vegetation have been destroyed due to the clearing of land for agriculture and construction of houses.

Data at the Forestry commission show that there are 20 forest reserves covering a total of area of 233,469 hectors in the Brong Ahafo, however the activities of illegal timer operators, which have been on the rise in recent times, have left the conserved areas with damaged trees.

It is not only in the Brong Ahafo that forest is lost every year since forest in every part of Ghana has been decreasing rapidly and significantly.

Large tracts of forest have been cleared for the cultivation of cash crops such as cocoa, Jetropha, which thrive in the rich soil of the rain forest while bulldozers of rich mining companies are cutting down trees to make way for their operations.

In the Northern part of the country, deforestation, overgrazing and periodic drought have led to desertification and soil erosion.

There has been rampant encroachment of our forest reserves in recent times due to the production of timber for export and the local market as well.

Kwabena A. Otu-Danquah, Chief of the Renewable Energy Division of the Energy Commission is worried about the indiscriminate felling of trees for charcoal and firewood which has become a very lucrative business.

It is difficult to regulate the industry and put a stop to the practice because charcoal happens to be the major source of energy for cooking in most Ghanaian homes,.

He said his outfit discovered that large volumes of charcoal were being exported out of the country under the non–traditional export and “we decided that if we allow people to export without permit the country will become a desert in the not-too-distance future.”

Ghana’s rate of forest depletion has hit 62,000 hectares annually and the country’s forest is currently regarded as one of the highest degraded in the developing world.

The poor rating is because the country’s total forest cover of 8.2 million hectares during the 20th century has been reduced to about one million presently.

The lost of forest is presenting a major challenge to policy makers and environmentalists, who are proposing various forms of measures to redeem the situation.

To address the alarming level of degradation and depletion of the country’s forests, government has decided to strictly enforce policies and associated legislation on forestry to ensure the sustainability of natural resource and bio-diversity conservation in the country.

Government in February this year launched the National Plantation Development Programme as part of efforts to reduce the rate of deforestation and significantly bringing down its effects on rural communities.

So far about 10,000 hectares of forest plantation have been attained out of the targeted 51,000 hectares of forest projected to be planted by end of 2011.

According to Afari Dartey, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Forestry Commission, degraded forest reserves and off-reserve areas will be replanted to achieve a sustainable resource base that will satisfy future demands for industrial timber and enhance environmental quality.

The programme had so far created 40,000 jobs in districts across the country in the areas of seedling production, land clearance, planting and other tending activities.

Collins Dauda, Minister of Forestry, Lands and Natural Resources, believes the forestry sector is receiving attention in recent times, both in terms of its relevance and contribution to resolving national problems and the large quantum of resources being poured into it to achieve the desired goals.

Ghana has ratified international agreements protecting tropical forests, wetlands, and the ozone layer and this has led to the banning of the export of raw logs.

Hon. Dauda maintained that efforts were also underway to restructure the timber processing sector to achieve increased value-addition before exports.

Experts have said that the world’s ability to control climate change could be crippled if global leaders do not support clear and effective targets to address deforestation.

At the United Nations Climate Change Negotiations in Cancun, Mexico, this December proposals have come up for key agreements on a global strategy to reduce emissions as a result of deforestation and forest degradation, known as REDD+.

Government negotiators meeting in Cancun are considering several proposals to tackle climate change, including the emissions caused by deforestation and forest degradation, which account for 15 percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions.

Gerald Steindlegger, Policy Director of World Wildlife Fund, said reaching an agreement on REDD+ is critical to saving forests, preserving biodiversity, and benefitting people.

This is because an estimated 60 million indigenous people worldwide depend on forests for their livelihoods, and forest resources directly support the livelihood of 90 percent of the 1.2 billion people who are extremely poverty,
“But because a few critical issues are unresolved, there’s a real risk that governments could end up with a REDD+ deal that doesn’t benefit people or the planet. The world’s governments need to ensure they get REDD+ right,” he said.

REDD+ aims to reduce emissions by having developed countries pay developing countries not to destroy their forests.

Trees act as one of the largest storage for carbon on earth and helps to reduce emissions.

Benefits of forest cover is enormous because aside helping to curb climate changes; it reduces the rate of water runoff as well as protects soil erosion.

Because trees transpire large quantity of water and shade to the soil, their destruction often leads to a hotter and dryer climate.

The forest also serves as an avenue for recreational activities and tourist attraction, which go a long way to pump money into the economy of the country.

Removal of trees causes rapid runoff and flooding, which makes oil erosion more rampant.

The constant harvesting of trees along streams and rivers drastically reduces the fish as increased exposure of water bodies to sunlight may negatively affect the fish.