Peter Baskett

Barry Callebaut Group has launched a new initiative that will reward the Nigerian Cocoa farmers who uphold sustainable farming practices. The management of Barry Callebaut Nigeria will pay qualifying farmers in Ondo and Cross River states a total additional premium of 26 million Naira (circa US$60,000) for sustainable Cocoa beans delivered in the 2021-2022 season. […]

Cameroon’s Office National du Cacao et du Cafe (ONCC) reported a total harvest of 295,163 tonnes of Cocoa beans in the 2021-2022 season. This is up from the previous harvest of 292,471 tonnes of beans in 2020-2021, and beating original projections from the ICCO (see chart below for original projection) Cameroon’s Cocoa production has been

In the latest quarterly bulletin of Cocoa statistics for August 2022, the International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) revised its estimates for the 2021/22 Cocoa year. Figures for the world production, grindings and stocks of Cocoa beans were revised in the recent issue, which reflects the most up-to-date information available to the Secretariat as of August 2022.

A report by the Auditor-General (AG) of the Ghana Audit Service, Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, on the Public Accounts of Ghana’s Public Boards, Corporations and other Statutory Institutions found that Ghana’s cocoa agency, COCOBOD, had accumulated debts of about GHc12.3 billion ( circa US$1.23 billion) as at September 2020. The total debt is made up of

The Bank of Ghana (BoG) is expected to receive $910 million by October 2022 as the first tranche of COCOBOD’s $1.3 billion syndicated cocoa loan after it was approved by the Parliament of Ghana in July. African News sites are reporting that the second tranche of $390 million will come in November 2022 and be

Fazer, one of Finland’s largest food corporations, is reportedly exploring the option of using cellular agriculture for sustainable Cocoa production. They are by no means the first to explore options to create a Cocoa substitute, which is not meant to replace quality Cocoa, but serve as an alternative in mass chocolate products. The process typically

Nigeria’s government has created a new committee that develops and monitors the country’s Cocoa sector and makes its activities more transparent in the process. The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammad Abubakar, inaugurated the National Cocoa Management Committee (NCMC). The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Ernest Umakhihe, said this was in line

Ghana’s Cocoa governing body, COCOBOD, has issued a warning against the diversion of cocoa fertilisers and other farming inputs. Those engaging in illegal practices have been threatened with prosecution if they fail to desist. The announcement comes after it was found that Cocoa fertilisers and other agro-inputs that had been supplied to Cocoa farmers through

A total of 55,000 coconut seedlings have been donated to farmers in the Sefwi-Bodi District of Ghana’s Western North Region, under the Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) project.  The project seeks to provide an extra revenue stream for the local farmers by diversifying their offering to include crops other than Cocoa. By boosting