Fair Trade a Sweet Deal for Villager

James Anane Mensah’s small family farm in the village of Enchi in western Ghana is part of the Kuapa Kokoo Co-operative that provides Cadbury with its fair trade cocoa. (Contributed)

Man from Ghana extols benefits of cocoa production

WITH SO MANY people soliciting donations on Spring Garden Road these days, it is difficult to get anybody’s attention, even if you are handing out free chocolate bars.

However, people who paused on the busy strip Thursday to sample the new fair trade-certified Cadbury Dairy Milk bar had a rare opportunity to talk to a farmer who actually grows the cocoa used in the manufacturing of the decadently delicious treats.

"I’m here because I want people in Canada to understand how fair trade changed life in our community," James Anane Mensah said in an interview at Spring Garden Road and Queen Street at the height of the lunch-hour rush.

The herds of back-to-school shoppers and strolling visitors from a visiting cruise ship served as an intriguing backdrop to the tale Mensah shared about life in his village of Enchi in western Ghana before his small family farm became part of the Kuapa Kokoo Co-operative that provides Cadbury with its fair trade cocoa.

"If we drank the well water, we would get sick. There was no health care and few children could go to school," said Mensa, who operates an eight-hectare farm that became part of the co-operative last year.

"Today, the water is clean and safe to drink. My oldest boy can go to school and also received a bicycle to make the three-mile trip."

Many people hustling by the modest display set up by Cadbury seemed confused by the neatly dressed gentleman who was offering chocolate bars and a broad smile to pedestrians for much of the afternoon.

The 41-year-old married father of two boys said a lot of young people, in particular, took the time to learn a little something about the implications of looking for a fair trade logo when making a purchase.

"We get a fair price for our cocoa and we also make sure the cocoa is produced properly," said the soft-spoken farmer.

He said every farmer involved with the co-operative must participate in a training program that covers various aspects of cocoa production, such as the proper drying technique to ensure maximum quality.

Mensah is a ranking member of the co-operative executive in his village, with the trusted position of recorder.

A recorder is an elected position and the individual with this job must accurately weigh the cocoa and make sure the farmers are paid correctly.

Cadbury pays a premium for fair trade cocoa, about $150 per tonne above the guaranteed price paid to farmers associated with the co-operative, said company spokesperson Michelle Lefler.

"The additional $150 per tonne is paid to locally elected boards who determine how the money will be distributed," she said.

The money supports school construction, health-care programs, agricultural education for farmers and loans to women to start small tie-dye and soap-making businesses.

"I want to tell people in Canada that fair trade works. People should look for the fair trade logo," said Mensah, who speaks limited English, but managed to express his passion about the benefits of the international fair trade-certification movement that guarantees a basic salary and reasonable living conditions for farmers in developing nations.

Lefler said the fair trade-certified Cadbury Dairy Milk bar is helping to bring improved education, better health care and access to clean water for more than 40,000 farmers in Ghana.

( bpowerherald [dot] ca)