Cocoa Diaries

Re: Dear Kwame: Cocoa Trade Letters #1

The article uses Salomey’s experience in Ghana to illustrate a systemic cash‑flow squeeze at the farmgate of the cocoa trade. Farmers deliver beans, yet payments are delayed because the state‑run marketing board routes sales through a long, opaque export chain. This structure, rooted in colonial‑era policies, protects institutional interests while leaving smallholders without timely income. The piece argues that the “cocoa too expensive” narrative masks a deeper exploitation of farmers who bear the financial shock.