The Impact of Quality Control of Cocoa
Poverty prone and destabilized countries in the western African states as major producers should urge to employ innovative processing and marketing schemes in the processing and production of cocoa to maintain economic stabilization of the world’s market producers. Cocoa serves as the central export commodity in the world market. Not only confined to the issues Ghana and Cote d’ Ivoireface but enable the extended community on the cocoa export system and the international market, reference to overall performance in quality control, production and marketing successes, to face risks that affect at large other business communities on a global basis, for example, licensed buying agents, warehousing operators, exporters, importers, the international financial system and corporate stakeholders. Simultaneously the need for government management in the industry to entrust operations management from state control to privatization. by corporate firms is necessary to address effectively industrial issues on cocoa production, processing and marketing segments and to cope the demand for international standards by which centralizes on quality control. Attribute to the lack of processing technologies and established standards, time sensitive processing pace at bulk productions are not met borne by setbacks in indigenous practices in Africa. Government entities similar to the case of Ghana stake 20 percent of their holdings on the cocoa industry in Africa that loath them to relinquish government control to privatization. Failure to do so enables the prospect to loom the current fragmented situation in Africa affecting financial and economic stability and pervasively impact international markets. Since this implicates economic survival in the region to note cocoa ranks second tool as the largest foreign exchange producer, in trial times amid economic and political destabilization efforts spurred by armed conflict and institutional setback in Africa require upgrades to current practices to reckon is imperative to cope the demands that international processing markets require on a time sensitive basis (Foloyan, 2010, p. 1). To give central attention to this elusive issue also bears the innate problems existent in the world market: farmers have a sheer leverage to price negotiations as cocoa prices in the world market scale are low, the lack of initiative to diversify cocoa producers to other commercial industries to resolve the deficit of trade flows in the world market, the lack of supply management chains to cater farmers to supplement demand, the high volatility of the commodity as futures that fluctuate currency exchange values, the lack of supply chains by which market shares to farmers result to sheer income levels–resulting from considerable commission margins exporters and licensed agents at multinational levels impose along with taxation claims at national, state and local levels among exporter and importer countries. Cooperative and consensus measures should initiate Africa with global proponents in the industry to proactively seek technological solutions to meet international standards for cocoa production and processing.
Current indigenous practices in the cocoa processing result to lack of farm management integrity, infestation, disease contagion, poor fermentation, storage overtime and quality, and lack of cocoa bean drying techniques attribute to high moisture content. The pervading effects of these processing deficiencies impact not only the reputation upon national level customs and pre-inspection teams to bear responsibility over the issue but generate the lack of basic standards to pass the commodity markets. Research shows whether the properties on moisture content, pH or acidic levels and fat content are sensitively appropriate that affect integrally the overall quality and taste of end products is critical (Foloyan, 2010, p.2). Empirical studies also prove that fermentation techniques and adequate farming management tools reflected in chemical use and weeding, for example, determine the harvest quality and bean grade. The innate characteristic of cultural setback in Africa on the education deficiency of farmers contributes to the majority up to 80 percent of rejection. The lack of assurance efforts in every step of the processing stage also contribute to whether standard qualities are met. This is required since cocoa needs to meet high quality control standards to the extent color grade is rendered with attention that such content meet not more than 5 percent slaty characteristic and not more than the same rate in defective characteristic to meet superior quality standards in the international markets (Osei, n.d., p.1). Environment factors that impact international standards pose an immense challenge due to the inevitable effects of weather which sensitively impact quality on cocoa production. Studies show that the effect of abundant rainfall in Ghana conducive to cocoa bean growth generate a negative impact on the drying process by which indigenous practices implemented in Ghana is time consuming and yet an 8 percent moisture level is required that imply the need for abundant sunshine (Osei,n.d., p.3). Therefore cocoa production in agricultural levels requires beyond natural means and avails man made technology as the only alternative to meet standards to come across the issue to resolve is imperative over the likely loss.
International and national trade fair practices also attribute financial challenges to meet the recommended technologies upgrade rests its premise on the pervasive effects current international market conditions cause on cocoa as a world market commodity and its impact on living standards required among producers. The susceptibility of weather conditions and its impact on the cocoa quality in varied degrees upon harvest when introduced into the global market scale resulted to high volatility of cocoa in international prices. As a result sheer margins of income due to the frequent and large fluctuations in commodity price even make its worse when net income is remitted to farmers that could not even meet basic standard levels given the fact cocoa farms dominate the African region in scales with sheer returns of income. The lack of adequate supply management that need to raise prices in the international markets make impossible for farmers to sustain the industry. What constitutes the industry to downplay in terms of profit since this may favor international capital markets on commodity futures since the advantage the commodity of cocoa yields into the market through a high volatility rate that tend speculations that clout with wrong price signals in the market, (n.d.). The economic repercussions by these dispositions blur over producers whether it is worth curry to develop the cocoa industry in the global market should international trade policy restructuring should not avail alternative solutions and market or commodity deregulation.
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