The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has dismissed media reports regarding a leaked official letter approving the importation of 2,500 metric tonnes of cocoa beans from Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria as "misinformation."

In a statement dated Sunday, February 4, COCOBOD clarified that such arrangements have been in existence since November 2001, spanning over two decades.

The leaked official letter by MP for South Dayi, Nelson-Rockson Dafeamekpor, circulating widely, pertains to the approval of Afrotropic Cocoa Processing Company Limited's request to import 2,500 metric tonnes of cocoa beans from Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria.

To clarify the ‘misinterpretation’ in a February 4 statement, COCOBOD said the practice is nothing new.

“All processing companies in Ghana established post-November 2001 are permitted by law to import cocoa beans for processing in Ghana. It is an industry practice that has existed for over 20 years to allow factories to import from other countries, including Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Nigeria, and Ecuador,” COCOBOD clarified.

COCOBOD emphasised that the practice is a component of cost management and that it assists the companies in fulfilling their “desired recipes for chocolate production and other uses.”

“Ghana’s cocoa is a premium cocoa, and as part of cost management and operational strategy, companies often blend premium Ghana Cocoa with less premium cocoa beans from other producing countries.”