COCOBOD to increase local cocoa processing

Page 31: May 6, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) is seeking investment to process at least 40 per cent of cocoa beans in the country.
It said adding value to cocoa beans was going to help create more jobs and increase revenue for the country.
A Deputy Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD in charge of Agronomy and Quality Control, Mr Anthony Fofie, disclosed this when a Malaysian trade delegation called on the management of COCOBOD in Accra yesterday.
The delegation — which is on a tour of Ghana, Cameroun and Cote d’Ivoire — is here to explore the cocoa industry and seek investment opportunities.
Mr Fofie said with the increase in the production of cocoa in the country it was necessary to process more cocoa locally to add more value to the beans.
He said COCOBOD was also looking forward to investment in farm implements that would help reduce the drudgery associated with farming in the country.
He said the introduction of modern farm equipment in cocoa farms would go a long way to ease the burden of farmers and reduce the incidence of child labour on cocoa farms.
Mr Fofie said opportunities also existed for investment in the processing of by-products of cocoa.
Responding to a question on incentives for investment, Mr Fofie said the government had a number of incentives including tax holidays, which investors could explore.
He said apart from the free zones, investment in the hinterlands also had its own incentives for investors.
He said COCOBOD was doing its best to ensure that only quality cocoa left the shores of Ghana, adding that Ghana would not compromise on the quality of its cocoa beans, a position that had resulted in Ghana’s cocoa beans being the most sought after in the world.
The leader of the delegation, Mrs Nurmala Abdul Rahim, who is the First Deputy Secretary-General of the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities of Malaysia, acknowledged the important role Ghana played in the cocoa industry.
She said that informed the decision of the delegation to visit Ghana first before going to the other countries.