Geographical Indication (GI) options for Ethiopian Coffee and Ghanaian Cocoa

Geographical Indication (GI) Options for Ethiopian Coffee and Ghanaian Cocoa
focus was that it generated reasonably deep qualitative data. The tools employed
for the value chain analysis were questionnaires, semi-structured interviews,
informal focus group discussions and personal observations.
Three different questionnaires were prepared, one each for (1) individual
producers and representatives of producer cooperatives and associations; (2)
local buyers, exporters, processors and other intermediaries; and (3) qualified
experts and other informants in the two sectors, such as members of fair trade,
organic and other special interest-based product-certifying organisations. For
the semi-structured interviews, guides were prepared based on the areas covered
in the questionnaires. Stakeholders interviewed included representatives
of: the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office (EIPO), the Ethiopian Ministry of
Agriculture (MOA), Ghana’s Registrar General’s Department, Ghana’s Ministry
of Trade, and the Ghana Standards Authority. The informal focus group discussions
were conducted with key informants: producers, regulators and miscellaneous
collections of stakeholders. Some of the focus group participants had already
been interviewed through semi-structured interviews, while others only participated
in the focus groups. In the focus group meetings, participants discussed the
research themes in an open-ended manner and shared their experiences with one
another.
In addition, we generated our own personal observations during site visits in
Ethiopia, to a coffee processing and storage facility owned by a producer cooperative,
and to the country’s Coffee Quality Control and Inspection Centre. Moreover,
we personally engaged in the administration of the research instruments in the
two study countries, allowing for observation of the social and physical contexts
associated with the information gathered. The next three sections of this chapter
(Sections 4, 5 and 6) provide the research findings, analyse the findings, and draw
conclusions.
4. The value chains
Ethiopian coffee
Ethiopia is believed to be the birthplace of arabica coffee, which has traditionally
served as a social drink throughout the country. It has also attained a preeminent
place in both the country’s economy and its national identity. Coffee is
Ethiopia’s number one source of foreign exchange earnings (International Trade
Centre, 2011). According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), coffee
accounts for more than 25% of the country’s GNP, 40% of total export earnings
and 25% of all employment opportunities across both rural and urban inhabitants
(MOA, 2009). The country’s coffee production system is customarily classified
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