The Cocoa Value Addition Artisans Association of Ghana (COVAAAGH) has commended the government for its visionary and transformative policy initiative aimed at providing cocoa beans to indigenous cocoa value addition and chocolate manufacturing enterprises.

According to COVAAAGH, the decision by government to facilitate the direct supply of premium Ghana cocoa beans to its membership and other indigenous Ghanaian small scale cocoa processing and manufacturing enterprises will empower stakeholders to produce high-quality cocoa-based products for the domestic and export markets.

The group is of the view that this remarkable step will not only bolster the domestic cocoa value chain but also promote economic growth, job creation, and also increase Ghana’s share of the global cocoa and chocolate industry valued at $130 billion.

“COVAAAGH believes the Cocoa Marketing Company’s current 50-metric tonne minimum threshold for the purchase of cocoa beans remains prohibitive to Ghana’s burgeoning artisanal cocoa value addition industry”, a statement signed by the President COVAAAGH George Adjei-Bekoe said.

“In light of the current lack of direct access to cocoa beans, our local small scale manufacturing enterprises are forced to source semi-finished raw material from the Free Zones cocoa processing companies at exorbitant prices which include import duty, levies and taxes amounting to over 59%”, the statement added.

COVAAAGH urged the government to expedite the implementation of this strategic move to harness the many potential impacts it portends for the Ghanaian economy.

Expressing its gratitude, COVAAAGH said it is excited about the prospects of the policy and looks forward to working closely with the government to ensure its successful implementation.

“We appreciate the Government's dedication to the development of the cocoa sector and its recognition of the crucial role played by local value addition artisans”.