Global Supply Chain Management The Cocoa Case Management Essay

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Creative Writing
What can be done to take on the Cocoa shortage when demand is skyrocketing?
Cocoa plants flourish in tropical areas, meaning that they can only grow in a few locations. Since West Africa is the main source of cocoa, solving the issue of cocoa shortage requires identifying problems facing the farmers. The issues that can be solved are pests and diseases, inefficient agricultural practices, training, and motivation. To solve the issue of pests and diseases, experts would need to develop seeds that are more resilient to pests or materials which have more resistance to diseases. Current studies are underway to develop hybrids of cocoa, which are tolerant to pests and dry climate (Susilo 11). These crops have shown that they are more resilient to harsh climatic conditions and diseases. This strategy will ensure that the farmers yield, which will also reflect on the profits earned. High returns from the crop will also solve the issue of motivation since farming cocoa is hard work and high yield would be a good pay off. Since the countries where cocoa is grown are politically unstable, and their governments are unsupportive, farmers can receive funding from non-profit organizations to aid them in acquiring better equipment to help in the process of planting cocoa. Farmers can also receive training on how to take care of their crops, and how to check for any signs of unhealthy crops. Without training, farmers lack the proper skills to manage their crops and detect signs of diseases in the crops early enough and employ suitable measures to save the crops. This eventually results in lower yields. Training and producing hybrid cocoa seeds are the best means of increasing cocoa yield as a means of reducing shortage.
What improvements to the different components of the chocolate supply chain do you recommend?
The most significant issue in the chocolate supply chain is the small cocoa farmers. These farmers are known to receive less pay for their products, and this discourages them from planting cocoa. Moreover, as the farmers are pressured to meet the high demand, together with the lack of means to make appropriate changes, such as hiring effective staff, the farmers are forced to employ young children to work in the farms. The issue of farmers can heavily affect the entire supply chain, therefore changes in the means of growing the plant are necessary. This involves offering financial support and providing effective training materials, and fertilizers to increase yields. Additionally, the government should take responsibility of buying the products from the farmers and processing it for export rather than local dealers. Eliminating local brokers in the supply chain wo...