Dominic Blay 31
are, on average, 30 cm long. Second order processors then split these billets
with knife and mallet into chewing sticks. Most women process the equivalent
of one or two logs a day. Larger chewing sticks prepared for the wholesale
market are stored for several weeks and are then split into smaller sizes for
sale. These are later split into yet smaller dimensions for the retail market
and immediate consumption. The number of chewing sticks produced per log
varies considerably depending on the diameter at breast height of the individual
tree. On average, between 230 and 1,665 bundles of chewing-sticks are
produced per log; thus an approximate mean of 750 chewing sticks bundles
are produced per log. Branches are never used in the trade because the cost
of transportation is too high to warrant their exploitation and they are
considered too small in size to facilitate splitting.
Labour is paid on commission basis, i.e., by the number of logs cut into
pieces or number of pieces split. In this regard, processors prefer working
alone. Other processors are also involved in the collection and trade of logs
from Western Region. These processors have established relationships with
village gatherers and visit the village to collect harvested logs. In some cases
they pay for the logs in advance and return the following month to collect
them. Their profits are higher than those of processors who purchase logs at
Kumasi’s Central Market because the outside processors are involved in the
entire chain of the chewing stick trade from paying forest gatherers in the
village for whole raw logs to peddling bundles of chewing sticks in the streets
of Kumasi.Photo 2. Splitting and shaping of chew sticks prior to sale (Photo by T.C.H.
Sunderland)02chewingsticks.p65 31 22/12/2004, 11:04