Cocoa Purchases Decline 10%

Cocoa purchases in Ghana, the world's second-biggest producer of the beans, fell 10 percent in the first 30 weeks of the season, according to an industry official with access to the information.

Companies licensed to purchase beans from farmers for the state-run Ghana Cocoa Board bought 548,671.7 metric tons of cocoa in the season to May 13, compared with 609,838.4 tons in the same period a year earlier, according to the data. The official declined to be identified because the figures are confidential.

Purchases during the week ended May 13 increased to 8,394.5 tons, from 6,060.2 tons in the previous week.

Ghana borders Ivory Coast, the world's top producer of the chocolate ingredient.