Blair asks Europe to aid Africa markets

TONY BLAIR used a visit to an African cocoa farm yesterday to urge the European Union to give the developing world greater access to its markets to fight poverty and secure a safer world. The Prime Minister travelled by road for two hours into the Ghanaian jungle to deliver his message at the Kuato farmers’ co-operative.

The cocoa plantation benefits from a fair trade scheme organised by Comic Relief, under which the farmers are guaranteed a fixed price for their crops.

But the chocolate bars made from their produce — known as Dubbles — have to be manufactured in Germany to escape punitive tariffs imposed by the EU that would raise the price by up to 10 pence. The Prime Minister believes that such restrictions help to keep the developing world poor and must be scrapped.

Speaking in a clearing at the plantation, he said: “When we get to the next round of the world trade talks we have got to make sure that the developing countries like Ghana get access to their markets. It is a win-win situation. All the evidence shows that the developed countries must recognise that there is a mutual self-interest in this.”

Although he praised the Comic Relief scheme, he said that what was now needed was the “help of government to open up world trade”. The EU tariffs are imposed on the sugar and milk content of imported chocolate to protect European producers and traditional sources of supply, such as Mauritius.

Although Ghana does not have any restriction on exporting unprocessed cocoa, the tariff on chocolate products means that the country gets very little of the value of confectionery sold in the developing world and is prone to fluctuation in the commodity prices.

Even with the fair trade deal organised by Comic Relief, workers at the plantation say they are paid less than a dollar a day. Seth Takye, a local councillor watching Mr Blair’s visit, said that while he welcomed the interest of Western leaders, the poor farmers of Ghana needed real action. “We want to see more than just words, because we have heard these lyrics before,” he said.

Earlier, in a speech to the Ghanaian Parliament in Accra, Mr Blair reiterated his belief that there was a once in a generation chance to improve life for some of the world’s poorest people by securing agreements on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad). Aid, he said, should not be used as a “hand-out, but as a hand up to help people help themselves”.