By Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
35 Ghanaian Cocoa farmers from across cocoa growing areas in the country have petitioned management of Ghana’s cocoa production, Ghana Cocoa Board’s (COCOBOD’s) over what they termed poor farm and farmer conditions and social issues.
The petitioners used COCOBOD’s own Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) that includes a grievance and redress mechanism for cocoa farmers established in 2018.
The petitioners seek the following redress:
a. Transparency, and Traceability: Increase the farm gate price for cocoa to ensure farmers earn a living income, and require full transparency and traceability of supply chains;
b. Ensure companies comply with their commitments to end deforestation in the sector, and assist cocoa farmers transition to agroforestry;
c. Better regulate the sale and use of pesticides in the cocoa sector, ensure that only legal chemicals are used in the correct quantities, and assist farmers in appropriately disposing of pesticides and pesticide containers;
And last but not least, called on COCOBOD to impress on companies to implement legitimate Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation Systems (CLMRS) as part of their sourcing practices.
Addressing the media at the Ghana International Press Center in Accra, after the submission of the petition, the Programmes Officer, Civic Response, Mr. Raymond N. Ennin, who submitted the petition on behalf of the 35 farmers hinted that the farmers filed the petition to test the robustness, application, and transparency of COCOBOD’s ESMS platform.
Mr. Ennin explained that the idea to test the ESMS is to continually improve the system as well as the sustainability of cocoa production.
According to him, despite efforts to improve environmental sustainability and social well-being within COCOBOD projects, major issues persist. “Deforestation through illegal mining and other unfriendly environmental activities, 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,” he reiterated.
Mr. Ennin explained that the farmers grievances highlights high-risk environmental and social violations that COCOBOD has failed to address. However, we expect management of COCOBOD to respond to this claim and take rapid, robust action to address the issues
“The petitioners look forward to engaging with COCOBOD and seeing continued improvements in the cocoa sector,” the Programmes Officer, Civic Response reiterated.
In 2018, COCOBOD established an Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) that includes a grievance and redress mechanism for cocoa farmers, as a prerequisite for receiving a $600 million syndicated loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB).
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.”