The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCBOD) has explained that the importation of cocoa beans from neighbouring countries is a practice which has span over 20 years.
In a statement, COCOBOD said all cocoa processing companies in Ghana established post November 2001 are permitted by law to import cocoa beans.
The clarification follows a viral letter signed by the Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD, Joseph Boahen Aidoo, and addressed to Afrotropic Cocoa Processing Company Limited, giving it the green light to import cocoa beans.
Per the letter, Afrotropic is to import 2,500 cocoa beans from Ivory Coast and 1,000 from Nigeria, a move which has sparked mixed reactions.
But COCOBOD says the content of the letter has been misinterpreted and has called on the public to “disregard the false claim deduced from the leaked letter.”
Also, COCOBOD has allayed the fears of stakeholders with the assurance that the practice helps the companies to meet their ‘desired recipes for chocolate production and other uses’.
The letter emphasised that it also forms part of cost management.
“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.”
Read the letter below:
