Cocoa Exports: Japan did not reject Ghana’s cocoa – COCOBOD

The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has refuted reports that Japan rejected Ghana’s cocoa after it failed to meet the country’s Food Sanitation Law.

Reports that the Japanese government rejected cocoa beans being shipped from Ghana are false and must be completely disregarded, the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has said.

The Board has been on the receiving end of many questions from the public, following reports that cocoa exports from Ghana were rejected by the Japanese government due to its poor quality.

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A publication by the Chronicle newspaper on Wednesday, January 24, 2018, claimed that the Asian country rejected Ghana’s cocoa after it failed to meet the country’s Food Sanitation Law.

The story – which was on the front page of the newspaper under the headline “Japan rejects Ghana’s Cocoa” – further claimed that the cocoa shipment was returned to Ghana after  2, 4-D was detected in it.

However, the Management of COCOBOD has dismissed the reports making rounds in the media, insisting Japan did not reject or return the cocoa sold to them by Ghana.

 

In a statement, Board explained that they have had an agreement with the Cocoa Association of Japan (CCAJ) since 2008 to establish protocols for testing chemical residues on cocoa for shipment to the Asian country.

The statement further stated that in 2017 the attention of COCOBOD was drawn to a 100-ton consignment to Japan in which 2, 4-D was detected, but that did not lead to a rejection of the shipment.

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Sections of the statement reads: “Following that alert from CCAJ on the detection of 2, 4-D, the Quality Control Company, a Subsidiary of COCOBOD working with experts from CCAJ agreed on testing protocols for the 2,4-D which later became part of the total testing processes before cocoa is shipped to Japan.

It added: “Subsequently, Ghana and Japan have continued to do business to the mutual benefits of both countries. Japan has since received over 42,000mt of cocoa from Ghana without any issue in respect of a breach of any of the testing protocols.”

According to COCOBOD “the consignment in question was not returned to Ghana. It was not rejected as being alleged by the Chronicle newspaper”.

The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has refuted reports that Japan rejected Ghana’s cocoa after it failed to meet the country’s Food Sanitation Law. Read Full Story