The Chamber of Agribusiness has urged the government to take out some legislative instruments that set up the Ghana Cocoa board (Cocobod)

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Chamber, Anthony Morrison says players in the industry have been overburdened with several stringent processes and procedures.

The Chamber, therefore, wants the country to take a cue from Ivory Coast which is doing better in cocoa production.

“In Ghana, we have about 70% of farmers who are producing cocoa, mainly smaller holder farmers. What government has to do in terms of value addition is to take out some of the legislative instruments that set up Cocobod,” he said.

“We also need to look at how Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Cameroon are doing it. Indonesia has quite improved its value addition”, he pointed out.

The CEO also noted that “with every cocoa beans one needs to buy or transport, you need to get a license, you need to be registered as a cocoa bean supplier or processor. It takes a lot to go through the registration procedures.”

He added that ‘when it comes to value addition, we have to think about technology, appraising that technology as it will improve the standards.

 “I think that the issue of value addition also comes with technology. Do we have, or do our farmers have the requisite skills and the technical ability to add value, and if...what value should be added,” he quizzed.

Mr. Morrison also noted that the desire for hot choco or milo by Ghanaians calls for replication of quality standard at the various farm gate factories.

“So people who want to do chocolate, add different values can go in for. So this has to be a kind of strategy Cocobod has to be looking for” he said.

He therefore called for support for the Cocoa Processing Company to increase the cocoa nerve and cocoa powder.