Finance of Minister Seth Terkper has announced to Parliament that the country imported 15,500 tonnes of cocoa beans from Cote D’Ivoire in the 2014/2015 crop year.
Barry Callebaut, the chocolate maker, led the pack of companies that turned to Ghana’s western neighbouring country for raw materials which were in short supply.
The disclosure follows a question by Member of Parliament for Kwadaso, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto who sought to find out the tonnages of cocoa beans imported into Ghana by cocoa processing companies operating in the country during crop year 1st October, 2014 to 30th September, 2015.
According to Terkper, this is not the first time cocoa beans have been imported into the country.
He said: “Records available show that this started in 2005.
In fact, in 2008 the same company, Barry Callebaut Ghana Limited, imported 15,500 tonnes of light crop cocoa beans into the country from Nigeria and Togo.
They imported 7,000 tonnes from Nigeria and 8,500 tonnes from Togo”.
Ghana, the world’s second-largest cocoa producer, failed to meet its production target of 850,000 metric tonnes of cocoa beans in the 2014/2015 crop season.
The country runs a two-cycle cocoa season consisting of the October-June main crop harvest, which is mainly exported, and the July-September light crop that is discounted to local grinders.
An unprecedented one million tonnes of cocoa was produced during the 2010/11crop-year, thanks to good weather and improved farming techniques — but production declined to about 850,000 tonnes in the 2011/12 season.
Cocobod, the state-owned bulk exporter, said cocoa production tends to fall slightly after a bumper year.
Ghana is about to introduce onto the international market a new fine-flavoured cocoa bean variety after five-years of extensive trials to ensure crop viability and disease resistance.
Introduced by Ghana’s Cocoa Research Institute, the fine-flavour cocoa bean has enormous unique signatures and mineral properties for human consumption — unlike the conventional cocoa crops
In another development, Mr. Terkper has explained to Parliament that government is in consultations with management of Cocoa Processing Company (CPC) and COCOBOD to expedite action on the factors that have led to closing two of the three manufacturing plants of CPC.
“We have been in consultation with representatives of the board of CPC and COCOBOD.
This is a holding company that is listed. It could have impact on prices of shares in the stock exchange.”
He also indicated that government is so keen to resolve the issues at CPC, since it owns 30 percent shares with COCOBOD also owning 30 percent.
Source: B&FT Online