VOA标准英语2014--加纳汇率暴跌刺激可可走私活动

 

Ghana's Currency Slump¹ Spurs Increase in Cocoa Smuggling² 加纳汇率暴跌刺激可可走私活动

Cocoa beans have been smuggled⁴ between Ivory Coast and neighboring Ghana for years. Until recently, Ivorian growers most often illegally sent their cocoa beans into Ghana where the prices were higher and more stable. A recent slump in the Ghanaian currency and political stabilization⁵ in Ivory Coast, however, have tipped the balance. Ghanaian farmers are now the ones who smuggle³ their beans into Ivory Coast, where they get more money for them.

During recent political turmoil⁶ in Ivory Coast, Ghana's stability and fixed⁷ cocoa prices made it an attractive market to Ivorian growers. But the situation in Ivory Coast is now settled and the government has established a minimum price to be paid to cocoa farmers to keep Ivorian cocoa beans at home. Meanwhile, Ghana's currency, the cedi, has declined by more than 40 percent against the dollar this year. For the cocoa growers, this means a loss of income. They can make a bigger profit by smuggling their output to Ivory Coast and selling it at a higher price.

"The farmers are compelled to give most of their produce to the buyers from Ivory Coast so they can get enough money for their children; it is not that they are willing. It is the situation that is compelling them to do so,” said Alfred Allotey, a cocoa depot⁸ manager.

Ghanaian farmers who do not send their cocoa beans to Ivory Coast are urging the government to stop the practice.

"Ghana is our country. We use the cocoa to pay our men, to build our hospitals and all kinds of roads. If we don't stop them, our country is going to go down,” said one Ghanaian farmer.

One way to discourage the smuggling would be to increase the price of cocoa in Ghana, but the government has accumulated a budget deficit⁹ and can hardly afford that. As long as there are buyers in Ivory Coast who will pay more for Ghana's better quality beans, the smuggling is likely to continue. And some Ivorians see nothing wrong with that.

"It's not the cooperatives who will help them out, because they are the ones who will be paying for their own fuel in order to sell their cocoa and I for one will buy it from them. That's the way it is,” said Adoni Nkanza, a member of a cooperative.

Ivory Coast is the world's largest producer and exporter of the cocoa bean, an essential ingredient in producing chocolate. Ivory Coast, Ghana and other West African countries together produce two-thirds of the world's cocoa crop. Industry sources estimate that since last October, up to 100,000 tons of beans have been trafficked across the border into Ivory Coast. Industry officials say they will open discussions on how the two countries can work together to combat the smuggling.

1 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。

2 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

3 smuggle   

vt.私运；vi.走私

参考例句：

• Friends managed to smuggle him secretly out of the country.朋友们想方设法将他秘密送出国了。
• She has managed to smuggle out the antiques without getting caught.她成功将古董走私出境，没有被逮捕。

4 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

5 Stabilization   

稳定化

参考例句：

• The position of barycentre on plane directly impacts the stabilization and manipulation of plane. 飞机重心位置直接影响飞机的稳定和操纵特性。
• With the higher olefins, stabilization of the energetic intermediates occurs more easily. 在较高的烯烃情况下，高能的中间物稳定作用更易出现。

6 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

7 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

8 depot   

n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站

参考例句：

• The depot is only a few blocks from here.公共汽车站离这儿只有几个街区。
• They leased the building as a depot.他们租用这栋大楼作仓库。

9 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。