Cocoa is not the engine of deforestation, according to Europeans

General News of Wednesday, May 1st, 2019

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com

2019-05-01

Joseph Boahen Aidoo, chief executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), urged European chocolate processing companies and international civil society groups fighting for the protection of forests to relax in the country. the idea that cocoa farming has long been the cause of deforestation.

Deforestation is a major concern of the international community and cocoa farming has often been attacked as a cause.

Some European companies have in the past threatened to boycott cocoa produced in Ghana because it was planted in reserved forest areas.

Sending to the General Assembly of Swiss chocolate producers in Zurich, Mr Aidoo categorically stated that he did not subscribe to the idea that cocoa farming was causing deforestation.

He explained that, although cocoa was planted on Ghanaian land that was once reserved forest, the logging companies' activities reduced the forest before cocoa farmers converted the depleted vegetation into cocoa plantations. .

He referred to academic research conducted on cocoa migration in Ghana and the history of the cocoa industry, which revealed that farmers were not responsible for the logging and clearing activities that had led to the depletion of Ghana's forest reserves over the years.

Loggers working for timber companies in Europe and America are the ones who enter these reserves and subject the forest, Aidoo said.

"So, in reality, it is not the cocoa producers who are causing deforestation," he said.

"But now, the general idea is that cocoa causes deforestation. I beg to differ, "he said.

"If cocoa can be planted to restore some of these lands, I think it's adding to the forest stock and that's a good thing."

In Ghana, cocoa is often badociated with other plants, explained the COCOBOD official, while explaining the unique forest-friendly practices of cocoa growing adopted by many farmers in this West African country since many years.

It is common to see cocoa crops planted among trees and alongside food crops.

Monoculture, as practiced in countries such as Ecuador, is not the dominant practice in Ghana.

"Cocoa is a forest plant. In Ghana, it is badociated with other forest trees; trees to provide a permanent shade, "he said.

And some of these forest trees reach a height of more than 45 meters with cocoa crops as mid-layer plants.

"It is also badociated with food crops. We have plantains. We have bananas and cocoyam.

"These are staple foods in Ghana and they are regularly grown under cocoa plants and cocoa grows best when it exists with other plants," he said.

He then highlighted the important contribution of cocoa plants as one of the natural ways of reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide, as it is well documented that cocoa plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Atmosphere and deposit carbon in the soil.