COCOBOD ACCEPTS NEW CHALLENGES IN COCOA TRADE/PRODUCTION

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A Deputy Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board, Dr. Francis Oppong says the dynamism of the global cocoa trade, occasioned by food health and safety concerns, has introduced new challenges by way of cocoa quality.  

 These include pesticide residue, mycotoxins and Cadmium. He noted however that by far, the most serious of these is the pesticide residue in stored cocoa. 

Dr. Oppong, who was speaking at a forum on quality expectations in the cocoa industry, explained that the pesticide residue in stored cocoa is as a direct result of a combination of factors. 


These are, the difficulty in controlling the distribution and sale of pesticides, the misapplication and misuse of pesticides by some farmers and the use of unapproved chemicals for various farming activities. 

Dr. Oppong said agents of licensed buying companies are therefore expected to play a frontline role in addressing this menace. 

According to him, such agents in their daily interactions with farmers must join efforts made by the Extension Unit of COCOBOD to educate farmers on the correct use and application of these chemicals. 

Dr. Oppong said COCOBOD reckons that cocoa quality in general holds the key to the future of Ghana’s cocoa industry. 

This is because the value placed on Ghana’s cocoa beans by the cocoa trade is as a result of quality.

 COCOBOD has therefore put stringent measures in place to ensure that total quality is promoted at each stage of the value chain. 

Dr. Oppong said consequently, the achievement and continuous improvement of total cocoa quality do not only depend on one unity but on the collective effort of all stakeholders. 

For this reason, it is essential that licensed buying companies understand and accept the concept of quality management practices as crucial to the maintenance of cocoa quality.

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