For each US$ 100 customers pay for goods imported from Africa, African farmers or miners get US$ 2 or less. This is NOT fair, ethical, or civilized.
Call it free trade or capitalism, but Africans call it theft.
Barry Callebaut is a company based with headquarters in Zürich, Switzerland, the world’s largest cocoa producers and grinders, with an average annual production of 1.8 million tonnes of cocoa. I can only say that the prices they force on the producers is criminal and dirty.
People in the West must admit that they do not observe human rights and justice, other than the essential window dressing inside their countries.
This endless greed kept creating poverty and sufferings all over Africa by their Western states, companies, dealers, agents, humanitarian organizations, economic tourists, EU, expeditions, diplomatic missions, churches, academia, media, military assistance, intelligence, banks, aid programs, human rights and democracy advocates, international institutions, and African fifth column.
It is estimated that in 2007, six major companies in the international market in the European Union and the USA bought 60% of the Shea nuts and half of the Shea butter produced. Four major players control the refining of Shea in the world market. They are, in order of capacity, Aarhus United in Denmark, Fuji Oil in Japan, Karlsham AB in Sweden and Loders Croklaan in Holland (Addaquay, 2004).
Take for example Fuji Oil in Japan (Fuji Oil Group has a consolidated turnover of 1,99 Billion Euro.) they have only one very small processing unit in Ghana (INTERNATIONAL OILS & FATS LTD. worth 6500Euro, established only in 2011) which falls under their European division in the UK (FUJI OIL EUROPE, worth EUR17.9 million, established in 1992). That tiny processing plant serves Fuji Oil’s strategy to reduce production cost, and increase their margin of profits without rewarding the Ghanaian producers and the Ghanaian economy.
Kick all European, Japanese, and American businesses out of Africa and never sell raw materials, sell only fully manufactured products. Otherwise force them to create 70% local- 30% foreign joint venture in Africa. Invite only Africans to invest in Africa.
Africans must sell and buy from China, India, and Asian counties who offer cheap products to Africa. But for Europe, America, Japan, and other western countries who sell their products and services at expensive prices they must be given expensive prices for African products and not offered raw materials at all.
Just compare the prices paid for cocoa from Africa with the prices of chocolates in the consumer countries. Chocolate making is a simple inexpensive process which impossible to justify the extremely low cartel price for Africans.
For more information check the following:
Fuji Oil Group, About Us
Fuji Oil Group Companies
Production zones and systems, markets, benefits and constraints of shea (Vitellaria paradoxa Gaertn) butter processing
OIL CROPS AND SUPPLY CHAIN IN A FRICA, OCL – Oilseeds and fats, Crops and Lipids
Evaluating the marketing opportunities for Shea nut and Shea nut processed products in Uganda
The Natural Resources Institute (NRI), University of Greenwich, Greenwich Academic Literature Archive (GALA)
Investing in Shea in West Africa, A U.S. Investor’s Perspective, West Africa Trade Hub Technical Report; United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
