Contrary to an announcement that there could be a ban on Ghana’s cocoa on the international markets, the European Union has dismissed the claims.
The Information MinisterKojo Oppong Nkrumah recently posted on his official Facebook page that ”In Europe, there is a new legislation that could soon make Ghanaian cocoa and coffee unexportable to many international markets.
Earlier this week in Brussels, I had the privilege to chair a 2 day forum on ”the future of Ghanaian cocoa and coffee value chains in the face of this new EU legislation”.
The Ghana Embassy in Belgium under the leadership of Ambassador Sena Boateng has moved swiftly to bring this to the attention of the Government of Ghana. It has also commenced work on realigning Ghanaian and European interests in cocoa and coffee.
Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire need to act quickly to secure the industry while meeting the interests of European markets else millions of households and our entire economies could be significantly affected soon. Thankfully, this work has started. Our task is to see it through.”
But speaking at the second Edition of Orange Cocoa Day 2022 in Accra, the European Union Ambassador to Ghana, Irchad Razaarly, said the move must not be seen as a threat to Ghana’s cocoa sector.
“The call for more sustainable cocoa production is growing globally. And our citizens in Europe are increasingly demanding measures for ensuring that cocoa and other commodities are produced in a socially environmental sustainable way. This explains EU’s legislation on afforestation and forest degradation and must not be seen as a threat to Ghana’s cocoa.”
“There is no ban on Ghana’s cocoa. On the contrary, we want more of Ghana’s cocoa, and we are in support of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire amongst all of the producers who meet these requirements.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
