Barry Callebaut boosts Ghana cocoa production
at a factory in Ghana - doubling the facility's bean processing
capacity.
Five years after the plant in Tema first opened, a new processing line has upped capacity from 30,000 tonnes to 60,000 tonnes. Ghana is the world's second largest cocoa producing region and the country's government has pledged to increasing bean production to over 1 million tonnes. According to the International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) the country's commercial crop in 2005/2006 reached a record high of 646,000 tonnes. Speaking at the official inauguration ceremony, Barry Callebaut CEO Patrick De Maeseneire said: "Through our activities and investments in origin countries such as Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cameroon or Brazil we strive to improve the quality of our cocoa beans and at the same time we are making a contribution to the economic development of this country." Total investment at the facility amounts to more than $10m (€7.7m) and has been used to expand a finished products warehouse, administrative building and a social block to accommodate the growing number of workers. According to the Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod) rival cocoa processor Cargill is also expected to begin production at Tema with a factory due to open by the end of this year. The proposed development will produce cocoa butter, liquor and powder. A statement from Cocobod confirms that capacity for the plant will initially be 60,000 tonnes but has the potential to increase to120,000 tonnes
