COCOBOD on pathway to meet 50 percent local processing feat – Boahen Aidoo

The Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board, Joseph Boahen Aidoo has said his outfit is on the pathway to meet its set out target of 50 percent for local processing of cocoa beans, Dailygraphic.com.gh has reported.

According to him, COCOBOD is currently processing some 40 percent of cocoa beans for the domestic market.

Making the disclosure at the launch of the National Chocolate Week, Boahen Aidoo added COCOBOD was resolute to reinforce its incentive packages offered to local cocoa processors and artisanal chocolate makers in a bid to expand their business.

“The incentives will ensure that the processors are able to access more beans and produce more chocolates and other cocoa products for the consuming public,” he explained.

In 2017, the Akufo-Addo led administration declared an ambitious plan towards increasing Ghana’s cocoa production to one million metric tonnes (MT). The move primarily was to enhance local processing of cocoa beans to 50 percent.

Ghana already boasts of some key cocoa processing factories with an estimated processing capacity of 500,00 MT.

In addition, the ongoing construction of a new 50,000 capacity processing factory in the Western Region is expected to increase capacity to about 550,000 which will in turn place the 50 percent local processing target within reach.