China growing cocoa is a cause for concern – COCOBOD
EVANS ANNANG
News that China has recently exported cocoa to Belgium is a great cause of concern for the industry in Ghana, COCOBOD has said. According to the Public Affairs Manager of COCOBOD, Fiifi Boafo, Ghana should be concerned about China growing cocoa. In an interview on Citi FM, he said this development can have adverse effects on the Ghanaian cocoa industry if some measures are not implemented.
“It’s been of concern, a concern in the sense that generally the cocoa market has been saturated and consumption does not seem to be growing as fast as production of cocoa so any new addition in terms of production is a matter of concern because higher production without commensurate consumption will force the price of cocoa downwards.”
Mr. Boafo however added that although the development is worrying, considering the quantity of exported cocoa and other variables, there presently might not be a cause for alarm.
“The concern has to do with the fact that, would China be able to produce in large quantities and be commercially viable? I ask because if you look at cocoa production generally, it grows in places where you have for example between 10 degrees north and 10 degrees south of the equator where the climate temperature ranges between 18-32 degrees Celsius with rainfall of about 1500 mm to about 2000 mm.”
“China and the specific place we are talking about does not have that geographical location.” China is reported to have exported to Belgium its first batch of cocoa beans weighing 500 kg worth about $3,600. The Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS) revealed that South China’s island province of Hainan exported cocoa beans to Belgium for the first time. The batch of cocoa is reported to have been produced in Xinglong, a township of Hainan with a tropical climate.
pulse.com
Posted by admin
on Apr 28 2021. Filed under African News.
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