Success Story: Group Selling Arrangements Quadruples Family Income
Mr. Joseph Mbarzey, 68, is said to be the largest cocoa farmer in Duoplay, Gbehlageh District in Nimba County. Until recently, he struggled to support his wife and four children; his earnings from cocoa were not sufficient to meet their needs.
In order to sustain his family, he borrowed money from a Guinean middleman who came to buy cocoa in Liberia.
Mr. Mbarzey says repaying the loan worsened his situation, “At the end of the harvest, I had to pay back with wet cocoa beans. Sometimes what is left is sold to middlemen from Guinea at a price determined by them.”
In 2006, he decided to participate in a Sustainable Tree Crops Program (STCP) Farmer Field School to learn more about effective cocoa farming practices.
Through the program, he learned about shade management, drying and fermentation methods. As a result, the quality of his produce improved and yields increased as well.
He also joined the Gbehlageh Farmers Cooperative and took advantage of grouped sales, a process introduced and promoted by STCP and its partner SOCODEVI.
Today, Mr. Mbarzey no longer feels he is the victim of middlemen.
He receives between USD 1.05 and USD 1.21 per kg of cocoa by marketing his produce through the cooperative compared to the USD 0.24 or 0.32 per kg he received on his own.
Mr. Mbarzey recognizes that his wife, 54-year-old Martha Mbarzey, and their four children also benefited from his training.
As a result of his increased yields and participation in group selling arrangements, he can comfortably afford food, medication and school-related expenses for his family’s upkeep.
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