Cocoa Farming
Ghana is the world’s second largest cocoa producer after Côte d’Ivoire. Almost all of Ghana's cocoa production is exported, making cocoa the second most important exported commodity after gold. Therefore, cocoa production is a major job producer in Ghana, employing 3.2 million farmers and workers.
On cocoa farms, children as young as nine have been found doing hard labor. The children begin their days at 6 am and work until evening. Some use machetes to clear the forests while other children climb the cocoa trees to cut down bean pods. These large, heavy, sharp knives are the standard tools for workers on the cocoa farms, including children. Holding a single large pod in one hand, each child has to strike the pod with a machete and pry it open with the tip of the blade to expose the cocoa beans. Many of the children bear scars on their hands, arms, legs or shoulders from the dangerous work. And because of the prolific insect populations, there is heavy use of industrial chemicals. Children as young as ten years old spray cocoa pods exposing them to these toxins.
Fortunately, as the result of growing public awareness of the use of trafficked children and child labor on cocoa farms, there has been increasing pressure on chocolate manufacturers to eliminate child slavery in their supply chains. Now U.S. companies will not buy cocoa beans that have not been certified free from child labor. As a result, there are fewer children working on cocoa farms and this positive trend must continue. Consumers can support this movement by buying Fair Trade chocolate, which means farmers are paid a fair wage so they can afford to pay workers and educate their children. This will help reduce child trafficking and child labor not only in Ghana, but in other cocoa producing countries.
Ghana is the world’s second largest cocoa producer after Côte d’Ivoire. Almost all of Ghana's cocoa production is exported, making cocoa the second most important exported commodity after gold. Therefore, cocoa production is a major job producer in Ghana, employing 3.2 million farmers and workers.
On cocoa farms, children as young as nine have been found doing hard labor. The children begin their days at 6 am and work until evening. Some use machetes to clear the forests while other children climb the cocoa trees to cut down bean pods. These large, heavy, sharp knives are the standard tools for workers on the cocoa farms, including children. Holding a single large pod in one hand, each child has to strike the pod with a machete and pry it open with the tip of the blade to expose the cocoa beans. Many of the children bear scars on their hands, arms, legs or shoulders from the dangerous work. And because of the prolific insect populations, there is heavy use of industrial chemicals. Children as young as ten years old spray cocoa pods exposing them to these toxins.
Fortunately, as the result of growing public awareness of the use of trafficked children and child labor on cocoa farms, there has been increasing pressure on chocolate manufacturers to eliminate child slavery in their supply chains. Now U.S. companies will not buy cocoa beans that have not been certified free from child labor. As a result, there are fewer children working on cocoa farms and this positive trend must continue. Consumers can support this movement by buying Fair Trade chocolate, which means farmers are paid a fair wage so they can afford to pay workers and educate their children. This will help reduce child trafficking and child labor not only in Ghana, but in other cocoa producing countries.