This organisation came into being in April 1993 with the union of 50 cocoa-producing cooperatives around Kumasi (the second largest city in Ghana). These cooperatives have a very participatory structure and each cooperative is obliged to have an accountant and a product manager. They export through a second-tier organisation, and the grassroots cooperatives reinvest the price paid in the construction of housing, training and the maintenance of their culture.<\/p>\n
Kuapa Kokoo was born as a response to the liberalisation of the cocoa market, being aware of the need for farmers to organise and actively participate in the cocoa trade. It has been collaborating with Fair Trade organisations since 1993 and this has allowed them to operate independently, while at the same time giving them the tools to decide on their own development.<\/p>\n
Some of the benefits that farmers in Kuapa Kokoo gain from Fair Trade are, for example, enabling people to live from their skills and labour or paying a fair price to producers (which may well be above the government-approved price). In addition, it also provides training and access to information on international markets and social premiums, which are used for community development infrastructures (schools, access to drinking water...).<\/p>\n
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