KUMASI Ghana is set for a 1997/98 cocoa season crop (Oct-Sept) of up to 400,000 tonnes with little threat of a repeat of the pod disease which cut 1996/97 volumes, say upcountry cocoa buyers. ``I think we will have around 350,000 to 400,000 tonnes,'' said one cocoa buyer in Kumasi, with operations in most Ghanaian cocoa regions. ``Last year we had a lot of spoils from black pod. This year we have had less rain,'' he added, referring to a black pod-rotting fungus which surfaced in Ghana after cool and damp weather around one year ago. Ghana's closed 1996/97 crop is expected by buyers to total around 330,000 tonnes after a main crop of 300,000 tonnes to April 3, they said. The 1995/96 crop totalled around 404,000 tonnes. Buyers and state cocoa marketing board (COCOBOD) officials said they expected no change from the offical farmgate cocoa price of 1.8 million cedis per tonne set for the light crop in June -- a 50 percent rise from the preceding main crop rate. ``We expect a stable price for 1997/98,'' one buyer said. The price rise for the light crop had provided farmers with enough finance for the upcoming main crop season expected to open as usual around the end of September, buyers said. Farmers were nevertheless still complaining about a government decision to raise insecticide prices to 20,000 cedis a litre from 3,000 cedis for the mid-crop. ``Farmers have been complaining bitterly that the price is too high,'' one buyer said. Cocoa trees were in good shape and showing no signs of damage from a lack of chemical treatments. Crop analysts said there were no worrying signs of pod disease. Buyers in western cocoa areas said they were optimistic about crop volumes and quality for 1997/98 as heavy June rains had helped to offset a subsequent dry period up to September. Downpours of rain around Kumasi last week, coupled with intermittent rains in other main regions, were seen as a welcome boost to 1997/98 crop potential. ``Last season (1996/97) ended abruptly,'' said one, who blamed black pod disease for a cut in potential volumes. ``By January a lot of (the cocoa) was out although we thought it would be strong up to March,'' said one. ``We do not expect two bad seasons in a row,'' said another, who said his company would nevertheless cut back its buying operations to concentrate on fewer areas -- mainly the productive Western and Central regions. ``Our spread was too wide,'' he said, adding that large private buyers such as Unicrop and Cashpro had not been as affected by the 1996/97 crop downturn. Crop analysts say evidence of localised road repairs could help transporters get cocoa to Takoradi and Tema export ports. Private buyers said they accounted for around 25 percent of Ghanaian crop purchases from farmers. The majority is still bought internally by COCOBOD -- which also has a monopoly over external marketing. Ghana in June aired plans to split COCOBOD's Produce Buying Company (PBC) into two or more private smaller companies. The PBC is Ghana's Cocoa Marketing Board's department in charge of internal marketing of cocoa. However, buyers said the government remained opposed to any donor-sponsored moves towards external marketing, as in neighbouring Ivory Coast -- the world's largest producer. Ghana and Ivory Coast produce about 65 percent of the world's annual cocoa crop. Reuters
KUMASI Ghana is set for a 1997/98 cocoa season crop (Oct-Sept) of up to 400,000 tonnes with little threat of a repeat of the pod disease which cut 1996/97 volumes, say upcountry cocoa buyers. ``I think we will have around 350,000 to 400,000 tonnes,'' said one cocoa buyer in Kumasi, with operations in most Ghanaian cocoa regions. ``Last year we had a lot of spoils from black pod. This year we have had less rain,'' he added, referring to a black pod-rotting fungus which surfaced in Ghana after cool and damp weather around one year ago. Ghana's closed 1996/97 crop is expected by buyers to total around 330,000 tonnes after a main crop of 300,000 tonnes to April 3, they said. The 1995/96 crop totalled around 404,000 tonnes. Buyers and state cocoa marketing board (COCOBOD) officials said they expected no change from the offical farmgate cocoa price of 1.8 million cedis per tonne set for the light crop in June -- a 50 percent rise from the preceding main crop rate. ``We expect a stable price for 1997/98,'' one buyer said. The price rise for the light crop had provided farmers with enough finance for the upcoming main crop season expected to open as usual around the end of September, buyers said. Farmers were nevertheless still complaining about a government decision to raise insecticide prices to 20,000 cedis a litre from 3,000 cedis for the mid-crop. ``Farmers have been complaining bitterly that the price is too high,'' one buyer said. Cocoa trees were in good shape and showing no signs of damage from a lack of chemical treatments. Crop analysts said there were no worrying signs of pod disease. Buyers in western cocoa areas said they were optimistic about crop volumes and quality for 1997/98 as heavy June rains had helped to offset a subsequent dry period up to September. Downpours of rain around Kumasi last week, coupled with intermittent rains in other main regions, were seen as a welcome boost to 1997/98 crop potential. ``Last season (1996/97) ended abruptly,'' said one, who blamed black pod disease for a cut in potential volumes. ``By January a lot of (the cocoa) was out although we thought it would be strong up to March,'' said one. ``We do not expect two bad seasons in a row,'' said another, who said his company would nevertheless cut back its buying operations to concentrate on fewer areas -- mainly the productive Western and Central regions. ``Our spread was too wide,'' he said, adding that large private buyers such as Unicrop and Cashpro had not been as affected by the 1996/97 crop downturn. Crop analysts say evidence of localised road repairs could help transporters get cocoa to Takoradi and Tema export ports. Private buyers said they accounted for around 25 percent of Ghanaian crop purchases from farmers. The majority is still bought internally by COCOBOD -- which also has a monopoly over external marketing. Ghana in June aired plans to split COCOBOD's Produce Buying Company (PBC) into two or more private smaller companies. The PBC is Ghana's Cocoa Marketing Board's department in charge of internal marketing of cocoa. However, buyers said the government remained opposed to any donor-sponsored moves towards external marketing, as in neighbouring Ivory Coast -- the world's largest producer. Ghana and Ivory Coast produce about 65 percent of the world's annual cocoa crop. Reuters
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