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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: Ghana Coffee Women (TV)
HEADLINE: Ghanaian Women Drive New Growth in Coffee Production
TEASER:
PUBLISHED AT: 04/29/2022:
BYLINE: Senanu Tord
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Accra, Ghana
VIDEOGRAPHER: Senanu Tord
VIDEO EDITOR:
PRODUCER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: MAS, BR
VIDEO SOURCE(S): VOA Original, Other (see courtesy for Lorenzo Colantoni)
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO X
TRT:
VID APPROVED BY:
TYPE: TVPKG
UPDATE:
((INTRO))
[[In Ghana, a modified coffee seedling and new farming practices are helping the country achieve steady growth in coffee production – which had declined markedly over the past decade. Women farmers are taking the lead in producing coffee – as Senanu Tord reports from Accra, Ghana. ]]
((VIDEO-VOA: COFFEE NURSERY-various, Dr. Akpertey))
((NARRATOR))
Scientists at Ghana’s Cocoa Research Institute say they have developed two new varieties of coffee seedlings that are very promising.
((Abraham Akpertey, Coffee Breeder - Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana)) (English, 30secs)
“They are very high-yielding, and they are relatively tolerant to pests and diseases, as well as moisture stress. And then they have good cup quality; it is about the drinking. They taste very well.”
((VIDEO-VOA: WOMEN COFFEE FARMS-various))
((MANDATORY COURTESY: Lorenzo Colantoni))
((NARRATOR))
Experts say the new seedlings are reviving Ghana’s coffee industry and that women are playing a big part in that growth.
Industry figures show the number of women farmers has jumped by 22 percent in the last five years. The new varieties are specific to Ghana’s environment, say growers, and more likely to produce good yields.
((VIDEO-VOA: Mrs. Quantson))
((Emi-Beth Aku Quantson, Coffee Roaster)) ((English, 11secs))
“What that does for our women farmers, in particular, is that they are able to farm robusta without breaking their backs because now the efforts that is put into it is less”
((VIDEO-VOA: COFFEE PRODUCTION-various, Owusu-Manu))
((NARRATOR))
The number of coffee bean production facilities has also increased, lowering the amount of green beans being exported for production.
((Michael Owusu-Manu, Coffee Researcher)) (English, 17secs))
“A number of local roasters have come into the system and so the export has dwindled to a point where almost no coffee was being exported because the local roasters were picking up everything. So you see the numbers for exports have really gone down, but not necessarily the production itself.”
((VIDEO-VOA: COFFEE PRODUCTION-various, Mrs. Quantson))
((NARRATOR))
Industry researchers say more than half of Ghana’s 15 new coffee roasting companies are owned by women who pay more for the beans from local farmers than do exporters.
Coffee roaster Emi-beth uses Ghanaian spices and flavors on her products. They’re then sold in local markets or exported abroad, including to the U.S. and Europe.
(( Emi-Beth Aku Quantson, Coffee Roaster )) ((English, 30 secs))
“You could see that the coffee culture was growing. People also had access to global markets so they were traveling, they were experiencing coffee and they were understanding the usefulness of coffee in general. So it was very obvious to me that the revolution was coming to Ghana and it was important to us to position ourselves in a manner in which we could also be a gamechanger in the coffee industry globally”
((VIDEO-VOA: COFFEE NURSERY-various, COFFEE PRODUCTION- Various))
((NARRATOR))
According to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, trade in coffee makes up the largest part of tropical beverages, even more than cocoa and tea. The Ghanian government says its goal is to continue growing coffee to outperform the country’s cocoa production, or at least match it, to generate more income
((Senanu Tord, for VOA News, Accra, Ghana))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)Accra, Ghana
BylineSenanu Tord
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
