‘It's an industry practice that has existed for over 20 years’ — COCOBOD on cocoa bean importation

The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has asserted that it is normal industry practice for cocoa processing companies to import beans from other origins, in a bid to clarify what they call “widespread misinformation on social media.”

In a press statement released on February 4, COCOBOD's Public Affairs Department addressed the "misinterpretation of an official letter" that had been leaked to media outlets, authorizing Afrotropic Cocoa Processing Company Limited to import cocoa beans from Cote d'Ivoire and Nigeria.

The regulator sought to set the record straight on its policy towards bean imports.

“It is an industry practice that has existed for over 20 years to allow factories to import from other countries," stated a portion of the COCOBOD statement.

They explained that Ghanaian processing factories have been permitted by law since 2001 to import cocoa in order to meet specific recipes and blend premium Ghanaian beans with less expensive origins.

“All processing companies in Ghana established post November 2001 are permitted by law to import cocoa beans for processing in Ghana," the statement emphasized.

COCOBOD maintained that the imports by Afrotropic were merely part of normal business operations.

The regulator urged the public to "disregard the false claim deduced from the leaked letter," insisting that its policy was mischaracterized on social media.

The clarification comes amid concerns about dwindling domestic production in Ghana, partly due to galamsey.

However, COCOBOD says bean imports allow factories to maintain operations and blend premium local cocoa - suggesting the policy is not detrimental to farmers.