Ghana Ramps Up Cotton Advocacy

Two Ghana-based organizations are combining forces to reverse cotton’s slide in the African nation, which has been averaging a mere 3,000 tonnes annually for the last decade. That figure is not only smaller than many of Ghana’s neighboring countries, but it’s also a mere fraction of what its growers were able to produce 20 years ago, when they set a record with a 45-tonne harvest, according to a story published on GhanaWeb.com.

The General Agricultural Workers Union and Actionaid Ghana have teamed up to reverse that trend. Among the primary reasons for the decline are:

• uncontrolled liberalization of the cotton sector,
• poor organization of cotton farmers,
• low yields
• high production costs relative to returns, and
• low seed cotton purchase price.

The WorldBank has advanced a facility to cotton farmers to start the process, and the government has decided to divide the norther region of the country into three areas, each “cared for” by one of three companies: Armajaro Holdings, Olam International or Weinco Cotton.