“As the world’s leading producer of premium quality cocoa,” the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has “proudly” joined the world celebrate International Cocoa Day 2024.

COCOBOD took “this opportunity to reaffirm Ghana’s unwavering commitment to sustainable cocoa production, environmental stewardship, and enhancing the livelihoods of cocoa farmers”.

This was said in an October 1, 2024, statement released by the Joseph Boahen Aidoo-led COCOBOD.

While COCOBOD emphasised its unflagging commitment “to ensuring the long-term resilience and growth of the cocoa sector, especially in the face of evolving global challenges and industry dynamics,” it also underlined the “shared responsibility of all stakeholders – farmers, government agencies, industry partners, and consumers – to promote ethical practices in cocoa cultivation, marketing and processing”.

COCOBOD added its voice to the #SayNoToGalamsey protest, calling “on all Ghanaians to unite in the fight against illegal mining and cocoa smuggling, two significant threats to the sector’s sustainability”.

“Illegal mining continues to degrade farmlands, compromising the very foundation of cocoa farming, while cocoa smuggling undermines the financial returns and long-term viability of the industry by depriving farmers and the nation of rightful earnings from substantial investments in cocoa production,” the statement continued.

Concluding, COCOBOD assured “all stakeholders that entensive preparations are underway to ensure full compliance with the new” European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) comes into effective on January 1, 2025.