The Cocoa Processing Company Limited (CPC) has told Citi Business News the National Chocolate Day has failed to significantly boost the consumption and sale of cocoa products in Ghana.
The National Chocolate Day, an initiative of former Tourism Minister, the Late Jake Otanka Obetsebi Lamptey, is a day set aside to create awareness and increase consumption of locally made chocolate products.
But in an interview with Citi Business News, the Managing Director of CPC, Nana Agyenim Boateng stated that a lot more needs to be done to translate the popularity of the National Chocolate Day into local consumption of cocoa products.
“The National Chocolate Day is really boosting sales for Cocoa Processing Company but not for Ghana, and that’s sad. Only 4 percent of nationally produced cocoa is consumed by the locals,” he said.
Mr. Boateng was speaking at the sidelines of this years’ National Chocolate Day held on February 14, 2018 at the Accra Tourist Information Centre.
The MD of CPC also touched on the need to use the National Chocolate Day to sensitize Ghanaians about the need to consume Made-in-Ghana cocoa products.
In addition to raising awareness and interest for locally produced chocolate products, the CPC is also advancing plans to reduce the price of chocolate in the short to medium term.
This, Nana Agyenim Boateng explains will largely depend on the creation of a separate entity for the manufacturing of confectionaries.
The program which was organized by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture in collaboration with the Ghana Tourism Authority was under the theme “Eat Ghana, Eat Chocolate”.
It was attended by the Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Madame Catherine Afeku, the CEO of Ghana Tourism Authority Mr. Akwasi Agyeman as well the CEO of COCOBOD Joseph Boahen Aidoo.
The National Chocolate Day also witnessed an inter-schools competition, cultural display, cooking competition, as well as the opening of an exhibition.
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By: Bobbie Osei/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana