“Agriculture not only gives riches to a nation, but the only riches she can call her own.” – Samuel Johnson
I think one of the best ways to try to gain an understanding of a country is to understand what are their top crops. Knowing what a country grows and can export can tell you a lot about the culture, such as what foods are important within the country and what is valued by other countries.
Ghana recently celebrated Farmers’ Day, so I thought I’d take a look at the top crops of Ghana.
Cocoa
Cocoa is probably the most economically important crop in Ghana. The cocoa plant was introduced in Ghana in 1870 by Tetteh Quarshie. Today, Ghana is the second largest exporter of cocoa in the world.
Cocoa is cultivated in the southern parts of the country and frequently by small-scale farmers. However, sale and export of cocoa is highly regulated. All farmers must sell their harvest to the Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod) who then sell to companies for export
In 2014-2015, cocoa production was just under 1 million metric tons. However, comparing Ghana’s per hectare production to other countries, it seems like farmers in Ghana are not making the most of their plantations.
Pineapple
There are three main varieties of pineapples: sugarloaf, smooth cayenne and MD2. The sugarloaf variety are conical and generally only sold in Ghana’s local markets. For a long time, smooth cayenne dominated the international export market. However, Costa Rica introduced the MD2 to the international market, and because of its bright yellow color and square shape it became the preferred variety by supermarkets.
The MD2 variety isn’t particularly well-suited for the growing conditions in Ghana. However, the smooth cayenne variety is better for juicing. While Ghana dominated the European pineapple markets until the early 2000s, producers are trying to shift their focus to companies interested in the juice.
The most recent numbers I could find on pineapple production for Ghana estimate 60,000 metric tons annually.
Palm Oil
Palm oil is a bit of a hot topic among international conservationists and agriculturalists. In Southeast Asia, palm production is growing at such a rate that it is destroying the habitats of a number of animals. However, palm oil is a culturally important part of the diet in Ghana and West Africa.
Ghana does export palm oil, however imports from Malaysia have increased over the last several years as well. You can find unmarked jugs and reused water bottles in markets filled with the bright red oil.
Like most farming in Ghana, palm cultivation is dominated by small-scale farmers. However, palm oil is second only to cocoa in importance for export. More than 2.5 million metric tons were produced in 2014-2015 (it fetches a lower price per ton than cocoa).
Sugarcane
Walking along the street, you might find a row of sugar cane leaning up against a small fence. You can easily buy some to be chopped up for you to chew on as a snack. It seems that there is potential for a large sugarcane market and production in Ghana.
There were some big plans for a sugar factory in Ghana in 2015 that all crumbled. However, the new administration has prioritized getting the sugar production right and has hired on Africa’s largest sugar company to consult and implement production chains here.
In 2016, sugarcane production was just over 150,000 tons.