The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has launched the 2024 National Chocolate Week to boost local consumption of cocoa. The national Chocolate Week was launched in collaboration with the Ghana Tourism Authority in February 2014.
Joseph Boahen Aidoo, in an address read on his behalf, said “this year can best be described as an evaluation year after aggressive campaigns in recent years to change attitudes of the citizenry towards local consumption of cocoa.”
He said as part of a broader strategy to transform the cocoa sector, the Board rolled out various schemes aimed at processing at least 50% of cocoa produced annually in the country to improve upon an inherited per capita consumption of 0.45kg to at least 1kg within a 5-7 year period.
According to him, the Board achieved 40 percent of its target in 2019, but was ruined by the insurgencies of illegal mining, climate change, disease and pest attacks, and cocoa smuggling, causing artificial shortage of cocoa beans for industry to process.
Nevertheless, he said efforts are being made to reduce the threats.
In furtherance to this, the Board will officially hand over several rehabilitated farms across the cocoa regions to beneficiary farmers next month.
Mr. Aidoo was convinced that “the future of the sector looks bright. Our mandate to promote local cocoa consumption is not merely an economic necessity, but a reflection of our collective commitment to nurturing our cocoa and securing sustainable incomes for our farmers.
“Additionally, artisanal chocolate makers can buy cocoa beans directly from the Cocoa Marketing Company Limited, our subsidiary in-charge of trading Ghana’s cocoa beans locally and internationally.”
Akwasi Agyeman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) on his part, said the National Chocolate Day serves as an opportunity to promote and showcase the country’s cultural diversity and boost local cocoa production.
He stated that “the cocoa industry plays an important part in our identity and economy. We will continue to ask more people get into the industry and produce more varieties and also showcase the diversities that we have…”
Mr Agyeman added the tourism authority had already engaged in promoting made in Ghana products to boost the local economy.
Kwadwo Ofori Sarfo, Managing Director of Cocoa Processing Company, said the Golden Tree chocolate is a unique brand and has a lot of health benefits and same feedbacks had been received from consumers.
He encouraged the consumption of more of the golden tree chocolate to generate more revenue for the country, stressing “if we decide to export the raw beans, we don’t earn much as against we producing them or adding value to the raw beans.”
