Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Joseph Boahen Aidoo, has inaugurated a nine-member reconstituted national committee to promote the local consumption of cocoa.
He said while Ghana had made remarkable progress culminating in the significant increase in the per capita consumption from 0.5kg in 2017 to 1kg now, more effort was needed to match local consumption with increased annual production.
“Despite the doubling of our consumption rate over the past six years, our best has not been enough. We cannot be producing so much cocoa and remain low on the league table of consumption of chocolates and cocoa based products, expecting that countries elsewhere will consume for us. That is a moral mistake. Charity, they say, begins at home,” he said.
“Whilst pushing forward the agenda of scaling up productivity, there must be a corresponding effort at increasing local value addition to stimulating consumption of cocoa and ultimately better remunerate our hardworking cocoa farmers,” Mr Aidoo said.
The many Productivity Enhancement Programmes being implemented across the cocoa growing areas have led to an annual production of around 800,000 metric tonnes on average.
The global chocolate industry, from the bean to the bar, is estimated at between US$130 billion and US$150 billion. However, only between 6 per cent and 6.6 per cent of the projected amount comes to the producers – an indication that the real value of cocoa is in processing and value addition.
He said the government and COCOBOD had, over the past 5 years, made concerted efforts towards pursuing the 50 per cent processing policy to ensure that, at least, half of the annual cocoa output is processed locally.
The COCOBOD AfCFTA Cocoa Consumption Committee has also been working tirelessly with local processors to ensure that we smoothly penetrate the African market, he said.
The committee will develop a strategy document for the generic promotion of cocoa
consumption in the country and come out with programmes and activities that would create and increase national awareness of the health and nutritional benefits of cocoa as well as identify and implement specific programmes, which will sustain a nationwide cocoa consumption drive.
Mr Aidoo urges the new members of the Committee to give off their best to help create the necessary awareness about the health and nutritional benefits of cocoa and inculcate the habit of consumption in Ghanaians.
Mr Stephen Boafo, the Chairman of the Committee, said there was a need for a policy change and a strong commitment from the authorities.
“We have seen an indication of that commitment and we will at this point seek the full support and sponsorship for the various initiatives the committee will propose,” he said.
“When the industry improves, the benefits will be for all. it shall create employment, bring in foreign exchange, media houses will get adverts, packaging companies will get businesses, transport and delivery companies will not be left out,” he added.
He pledged on behalf of the committee to deliver on the goals to meet expectations.