The Chief Executive of Ghana Cocoa Board, Joseph Boahen Aidoo has called for massive consumption of cocoa products in the country to grow the industry and increase its earnings.

Speaking in an interview with Joy Business at the second edition of the Ghana Cocoa Awards Networking and Gala night, Mr. Boahen Aidoo said the immense intake of cocoa related products can boost the country’s revenue.

“We have a young population, so we must promote the consumption of cocoa products, particularly chocolate to get a boom”.

“If we can get a boom for Africa I think by just using cocoa as a vehicle, Africa will become one of the richest continents globally,” he said.

According to him, if the country is able to produce around 800,000 metric tonnes yearly, it will be earning almost about $320 million out of the living income deferential”.

He added that the living income deferential which is the additional sum paid per tonne of cocoa, ensuring the practical increase of the price that is paid to farmers, has come to stay.

Head of Cocoa Life Programme in Ghana, Yaa Peprah Amekudzi who was awarded the sustainability personality of the year 2020 seconded the call. “Cocoa farmers are working hard, but if they work hard, harvest and don’t have the transporters, the processors and even the consumers, then we are in big trouble,” she said.

She noted that the awards “creates awareness and encourages all of us in the value chain to give off our best”.

Yaa Peprah Amekudzi also called on cocoa farmers to pay attention to protecting the farm trees by ensuring adequate water on the farms.
“We should plant more trees, we should look at irrigation facilities or irrigation system especially the drip system and ensure that we have enough water on our farms. And again, we have shed for our cocoa trees, if we do that then we are talking about sustainability,” she added.

The event which created a platform for networking among players within the sector to engender progressive synergies for the collective good of the industry that has become the backbone of Ghana’s economy for more than a century now.