The Ghana Cocoa Board is calling on the general public to ignore the misinterpretation and subsequent misinformation arising out of an official letter by COCOBOD to a private company to import cocoa beans.
The impression being created is that Ghana is now an importer of cocoa beans. The letter is addressed to Afrotropic Cocoa Processing Company Limited. It authorizes the company to import 2500 metric tonnes of cocoa beans from Cote d’Ivoire and 1000 metric tonnes from Nigeria. The freight is to be done by sea through Tema Port.
Management of Ghana Cocoa Board noted the widespread circulation of an official letter from the regulator to Afrotropic Cocoa Processing Company Limited.
This letter, COCOBOD stated, is in response to the company’s request to import cocoa beans to process in Ghana has been a subject of misinterpretation on social media leading to misinformation.
In explanation, COCOBOD clarified that all processing companies in Ghana established post November 2001 are permitted by law to import cocoa beans for processing in Ghana.
The practice is to help the companies meet their desired recipes for chocolate production and other uses.
COCOBOD explained that Ghana’s cocoa is a premium cocoa and as part of cost management and operational strategy, companies often blend premium Ghana Cocoa with less premium cocoa beans from other producing countries.
“It is an industry practice that has existed for over 20 years to allow factories to import from other countries including, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Nigeria and Ecuador,” the statement said.
“The public is therefore urged to disregard the false claim deduced from the leaked letter,” said the statement issued by Public Affairs Department.
