The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has addressed concerns over the country’s importation of cocoa beans, emphasizing that this industry practice has been in existence for over two decades.
A letter, signed by COCOBOD’s CEO, Joseph Boahen Aidoo, grants approval to Afrotropic Cocoa Processing Company Limited to import 2,500 cocoa beans from Ivory Coast and 1,000 from Nigeria.
Responding to stakeholders’ concerns, COCOBOD stated that the importation of cocoa beans is a legal practice for processing companies established post-November 2001. The statement highlights that this has been a longstanding practice, enabling companies to import beans from various countries, including Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Nigeria, and Ecuador.
The board clarified that this approach aids processing companies in achieving their desired chocolate recipes and serves as a cost management strategy. It stressed that blending premium Ghana cocoa with beans from other producing countries is common.
COCOBOD expressed disappointment over the misinterpretation of the leaked letter and urged the public to disregard any false claims derived from it.
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