Buy Ghana Cocoa Beans Directly From Exporters & Suppliers - Best of 2024 Market Prices

Any chocolate lover has probably had a taste of Ghana cocoa beans. Cocoa is Ghana’s leading export according to FAO Stat.

The cocoa tree, which is also known as cacao tree, grows in countries with a subtropical climate such as Ghana. The tree starts producing cocoa pods when it is five years old. The tree produces a cluster of pale yellow flowers each with five petals and sepal. The cocoa pods can be green-white yellow purplish or red in colour, each of which contains 20 to 60 seeds. It takes up to six months to ripen to a length up to 35 cm and a width of 12 cm. Each pod has numerous ranges running along its length. They are used in the production of chocolate, cocoa powder and cocoa butter for consumption. Cocoa butter is also used in the cosmetic industry.

According to a legend, Ghana cocoa beans cultivation was fostered by a blacksmith called Tetteh Quarshie who, in 1895 returned to his farm with cocoa beans in his pocket from Equatorial Guinea where “slave-grown” plantation production of cocoa was concentrated. It was first exported at the end of the 19th century and between 1911 -1976, Ghana was the world-leading producer contributing between 30 to 40 per cent of the total world output. Cocoa is now cultivated in six regions in Ghana; western, central Brong, Ahafo, Eastern, Ashanti and the Volta regions. 

The following are varieties of cocoa beans grown in Ghana;

1. Criollo: when its pods are ripe, they are long, yellow or red with deep furrows and big warts. It does not produce much.
2. Forastero: the pods are short, yellow, and smooth without warts with furrows. It produces well, but the quality is not as good as criollo.
3. Trinitario: this variety is cross between Criollo and Forastero.The pods are long or short red and yellow and yield cocoa of reasonably good quality. 

Cocoa tree grows well in a humid tropical climate with regular rains and a short dry season. The trees need temperatures between 21 and 23 degrees Celsius with relatively constant rainfall of 1500 to 2500 mm per year. Cocoa requires deep and well-drained clay loam and sandy, loamy soil. It grows well with a pH range of 6.5 to 7.0. Cocoa beans are harvested when ripe and ready, it generally starts at the end of the rainy season and goes to the first few months of the dry season. There are two harvests per year, the main harvest, September to March and a secondary harvest, May to August with lower yields. When harvested, the cocoa pods are about 15 to 30 cm in length and 300 to 700 grams in weight. After harvesting they are dried cleaned and packed into cocoa sacks of 60 to 65 kgs and sometimes 100 kgs, they are also transported in standard containers using big bags or liner bags.

 In Ghana, cocoa is the largest agricultural export commodity. The country’s cocoa export even though fluctuating it has steadily increased from 239,000 to 526,000 tonnes between 1995 and 2013. This represents an annual export of 120 %. They export to the Netherlands, Burkina Faso, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

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