Trading future sustainable livelihoods for present gain: labour dynamics, opportunities, challenges and sustainability of virgin coconut oil processing businesses in the wake of coconut exports from Southwestern Ghana

Abstract

Coconut exports from coconut-producing countries bring about competition between local coconut processors and the international market. This study examined the labour dynamics, opportunities, challenges, and sustainability of virgin coconut oil (VCO) processing businesses in the wake of coconut exports from the Jomoro Municipality, Ghana. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 142 VCO processors for the study. Three key informants at the Municipal, Regional and National Headquarters of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture were also contacted using purposive sampling. The survey adopted both structured and unstructured interviews to collect data. Besides, four coconut export companies were contacted through the use of questionnaires to help estimate the pieces of coconuts exported from the Jomoro Municipality over ten years. IBM SPSS (version 25) was used to analyze quantitative data through descriptive statistics using frequency tables and pie charts. Direct quotes from processors were used to support the quantitative data. The results show that coconut exports posed a hindrance to the acquisition of coconuts by local VCO processors. Processors obtained between 6,000 and 25,000 pieces of coconuts from coconut farmers per batch of production, before 2002 when the exports started. However, in the wake of the exports, processors mainly obtained between 7,00 and 8,000 pieces of coconuts from farmers. The export is, thus, a disadvantage to local VCO processing businesses. Coconut processing companies should be given incentives by the Ministry of Trade and Industry to locate in the municipality to employ local people.

Keywords

• Dehusked coconuts
• coconut exports
• virgin coconut oil
• sustainable development
• Jomoro Municipality
• Ghana