The Managing Director of the Cocoa Marketing Company, Wisdom Dogbe, says Ghana must increase domestic cocoa processing to maximize value from its crop.
According to him, the Cocoa Processing Company has an installed processing capacity of about 64,000 metric tonnes but currently utilizes only a fraction of that capacity.
He explained that achieving the government’s target of processing at least 50 percent of Ghana’s cocoa locally will require fresh investment and stronger collaboration with private processors.
“We have significant processing capacity in the country, but factories are not operating at full capacity due to financing and operational constraints,” he said on The KeyPoints on March 7.
Dr. Dogbe noted that expanding local processing would create jobs, boost foreign exchange earnings and strengthen the entire cocoa value chain.
On the producer price reduction, he described the decision as difficult but necessary to stabilize the sector and address financial challenges facing the Ghana Cocoa Board.
He added that while Ghana’s higher farmgate price supports farmers, it also creates incentives for cross-border smuggling, particularly from neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire, requiring stronger enforcement and cooperation between the two countries.
Speaking on the same show, the Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, warned that Ghana’s cocoa industry could face long-term decline if urgent reforms are not implemented.
He noted that cocoa production is expanding into new regions, including countries that historically did not cultivate the crop.
“More countries that did not even produce cocoa before, including Brazil and others, have started producing,” he said.
Mr. Bentil cautioned that global competition could continue to push cocoa prices downward unless Ghana takes decisive steps to strengthen its industry.
“Unless something drastic happens, I don’t see this trend changing,” he stated.
He backed policies aimed at increasing domestic processing of cocoa but stressed that broader reforms must accompany such initiatives.
According to him, Ghana should consider long-term strategies, including gradually restricting the export of raw cocoa beans, to force greater investment in local value addition and strengthen the country’s position in the global cocoa market.
By Christabel Success Treve
