Dunkwa-on-Offin (C/R), Oct.1, Ghanadot/GNA -
Ghana is set to process about 380,000 tonnes of
its total cocoa production by the middle of next
year, President John Agyekum Kufuor has
announced.
This represents more than 50 per cent of the
current production level of 700,000 tonnes.
Addressing Cocoa Producers Alliance (COPAL)
Cocoa Day at Dunkwa-on-Offin in the Central
Region, President Kufuor said the Government's
policy within the last eight years has been to
attract investments to at least process 40 per
cent of the country's cocoa.
The result has been the establishment of a
60,000 tonne-capacity processing plant by
Cargill in Tema. It is now test-running the
plant, which is scheduled for formal
inauguration in November. It would produce cocoa
liquor, butter and powder.
Another global giant "ADM", President Kufuor
said, has also expressed interest in
establishing a plant in Kumasi.
Barry Callebaut; Cocoa Processing Company; West
African Mills and Afrotropic Cocoa Processing
are among the companies working to attain the
objective.
President Kufuor urged the Cocoa Marketing Board
(COCOBOD) to intensify the Cocoa Diseases and
the Pests Control and the application of
fertilizer programmes.
Additionally, the Board should step up the
supply of early bearing and high-yielding
planting materials for the rehabilitation of old
farms and the payment of remunerative producer
prices.
These were necessary to help the nation to
achieve the medium term objective of producing
one million tonnes of cocoa annually.
Mr Isaac Osei, Chief Executive Officer of
COCOBOD, said the way forward for the industry
must involve broadening of its marketing
strategies to increase the sale of processed
cocoa products in Ghana and the ECOWAS
Sub-Region.
COPAL member countries produces 76 per cent of
World Cocoa Output, but their grindings add up
to only 28 per cent while their domestic
consumption is a meagre five per cent of the
output.
He said there was the need to channel efforts
towards increased processing and local
consumption to derive maximum benefits.
Nana Yiadom Boakye, National Chief Farmer,
praised the Government for keeping faith with
Ghanaian Cocoa Farmers.
Since 2001, cocoa production has moved up from
an average of 350,000 tonnes to the current
nearly 700,000 tonnes.
In the same period producer price had gone up by
over 400 per cent from 347.50 Ghana cedis to
1,632.00 Ghana cedis per tonne.
GNA
