New analysis by Oxfam claims big chocolate companies are failing to pay prices that support a living income for cocoa farmers in Ghana.
The Oxfam survey of more than 400 cocoa farmers across Ghana found that their net incomes have fallen on average by 16 per cent since 2020, with women’s incomes falling by nearly 22 per cent. Nine out of 10 farmers said they are worse off since the pandemic.
Up to 90 per cent of Ghanaian cocoa farmers do not earn a living income, meaning they cannot afford enough food or other basics such as clothing, housing and medical care. Many of the 800,000 farmers in the country survive on just $2 a day.
“There’s big money in chocolate — but definitely not for farmers,” said Oxfam International interim executive director amitabh Behar. “Cocoa farmers work extremely hard, under gruelling conditions, yet can’t always feed their families.”
