Italy Proposes 3,000-Hectare Cocoa Farm in Ghana to Boost Local Chocolate Production
The Ghana Cocoa Board is in talks with Italian investors to establish a 3,000-hectare mechanised cocoa farm aimed at shifting Ghana’s cocoa sector from raw bean exports to finished products.
Italian Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Laura Ranalli, led a delegation from BF International, Italy’s largest agricultural group, to COCOBOD headquarters on Tuesday to propose the “Cocoa Connect Initiative,” a partnership between public, private, and scientific institutions to expand Ghana’s cocoa value chain.
Ambassador Ranalli said the initiative is designed to promote Ghana’s cocoa and support the development of semi-finished and finished chocolate products locally.
At the core of the plan is the proposed 3,000-hectare technology-driven cocoa development zone, which BF International seeks to establish to supply the processing agenda.
COCOBOD Chief Executive, Dr Ransford Anertey Abbey, welcomed the proposal and pledged full institutional, agronomic, and technical support for the project.
Dr Abbey said local value addition is central to Ghana’s cocoa transformation agenda and noted that the partnership will help both countries leverage their strengths to expand global market share.
He assured the delegation that COCOBOD would assign a specialised team of experts to support the investment with research, agronomy, and technical services.
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