The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has signed a Declaration of Intent to Cooperate with ApexBrasil and the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, marking a significant step in deepening bilateral collaboration in the cocoa industry.
The agreement was formalized during a high-level meeting at Cocoa House in Accra, as part of a Brazilian Presidential Mission to Africa. The Brazilian delegation, led by Her Excellency Marirana Madeira, Brazilian Ambassador to Ghana, included officials from ApexBrasil and the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture.
They engaged COCOBOD’s Acting Chief Executive and his management team in discussions aimed at enhancing technical and economic cooperation between the two nations.
Key discussions focused on leveraging Brazilian technology to boost cocoa productivity, sharing best practices in disease management, and fostering research partnerships between Brazil’s cocoa sector and the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG).
The meeting also explored global cocoa market dynamics, emphasizing the need for stronger collaboration among the world’s five largest cocoa producers—Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Brazil, Nigeria, and Ecuador.
A major focus of the discussions was improving farmer incomes and promoting sustainability within the cocoa value chain.
Scientific cooperation was also highlighted, with both parties exploring joint research on cocoa flavor profiling and disease management strategies.
Specific areas of interest included tackling Witches’ Broom disease in Brazil and Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease (CSSVD) in Ghana.
Additionally, the Brazilian delegation expressed keen interest in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire’s Living Income Differential (LID) of $400 per tonne, a pricing mechanism designed to secure better earnings for cocoa farmers.
The signing of the Declaration of Intent underscores the commitment of Ghana and Brazil to strengthening cooperation in cocoa production, advancing sustainable farming practices, and deepening research collaborations to benefit the global cocoa industry.
