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African scientists to help improve quality of cocoa
- President Kufuor
Kumasi, Oct. 28, Ghanadot/GNA – President John Agyekum
Kufuor has asked African scientists and researchers to help
improve the quality of cocoa beans and products in order to
increase its consumption.
He said it was through research that medicinal and
nutritional benefits of cocoa could be realised to increase
the consumption of cocoa products globally.
President Kufuor made the appeal in an address read for him
by Mr Kwadwo Mpiani, Minister of Presidential Affairs and
Chief of Staff, at the opening of an international symposium
on cocoa in Kumasi on Tuesday.
The three-day symposium, which was under theme “Theobroma
cocoa - the tree of change, building a consensus on the
future of cocoa sustainability in West Africa”, was being
attended by cocoa researchers, public sector managers and
cocoa growers among others from West African and Central
African cocoa growing countries.
It aims at determining the status, trends and future
scenarios of cocoa production in Western and Central African
countries, which accounts for 70 per cent of global cocoa
production.
The event would offer a platform to showcase and share
advances in cocoa science, identify the critical
uncertainties and knowledge needs for more deliberate cocoa
development, create awareness for effective technology
transfer and funding and distribution of inputs.
President Kufuor said in spite of the progress and
achievements made in the cocoa sector, there were still
challenges confronting the cocoa industry.
He urged participants to find solutions to problems
regarding pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydro carbons (PAHS),
contained in cocoa beans which were harmful to human health
and ochratoxin “A” in cocoa beans with its potential
carcinogenic effects.
President Kufuor urged the participants to take a look at
these challenges and find solutions to them.
He said the government was committed to supporting research
and improvement of the cocoa industry and agriculture
generally in Ghana, adding that, in this period of global
economic uncertainty, the need to transform and modernize
agricultural practices had never been greater.
President Kufuor said government was looking forward to lead
the effort towards establishing the cocoa consensus plan
which would help farmers not only to survive but flourish
under the challenging economic situation currently facing
the world.
He commended MARS Incorporated, sponsors of the symposium
and the Cocoa Producers Alliance for their continued support
for the cocoa industry in the areas of research.
President Kufuor called on MARS to explore the many
investment opportunities in the cocoa industry in Ghana and
establish cocoa processing industry in the country.
Professor George Gyan-Baffour, Deputy Minister for Finance
and Economic Planning, said government had initiated a
number of measures to increase cocoa production in the
country over the last seven years.
He mentioned the introduction of high-tech seedlings, mass
spraying, increase in the producer prices of cocoa as well
as payment of bonuses and construction of roads in cocoa
growing areas, as some of the initiatives that had helped
increased cocoa production.
Professor Gyan-Baffuor, however, said there were still
challenges in the industry and appealed to the scientists
and researchers to help find solutions to them.
Mr Sona Ebai, Executive Director of Cocoa Producers
Alliance, said industries in cocoa consuming countries had
come out with innovative technologies to improve production
and profit margins in the cocoa industry.
He said the issue of sustainability of the industry,
remained unresolved and called for concerted approaches to
improve and sustain cocoa production in the growing
countries.
Dr Howard-Yana Shapiro, Chief Executive of MARS
Incorporated, stressed the need for coordinated and
sustainable partnership for the improvement of cocoa
production.
Mr Emmanuel Asamoah Owusu-Ansah, Ashanti Regional Minister,
said there was the need for value to be added to cocoa
products to increase its benefits to producing countries.
Daasebre Osei Bonsu, Omanhene of the Asante Mampong
Traditional Area, called for the establishment of cocoa bank
to help provide credit facilities to cocoa farmers to enable
them to expand their farms and improve their living
standards.
GNA
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