Government will soon roll out a policy that will ensure that all Ghanaian students from the primary to Senior High level are provided with a bar of chocolate or cocoa beverages in school each day.
President Akufo Addo announced this new development on Monday, when he delivered a speech at this year’s World Cocoa Day celebration, at the Jubilee Park in Kumasi, an event which coincided with the 70th-anniversary celebration of the establishment of the Ghana Cocoa Board.
The president said the government had already received support from some International chocolate companies for the implementation of the program.
"The minister of agriculture through COCOBOD, the Minister of Gender and Social Protection through the school feeding program and the Ministry of education through the government are to ensure the sustained provision of cocoa beverages and chocolates to school children from primary to secondary level".
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"The target is to provide every Ghanaian student with a bar of chocolate or cocoa beverage each day whilst in school. This program has been given the needed support by some manufacturing companies", he said.
The president believes these efforts will greatly benefit local farmers as well as increasing foreign exchange earnings and revenue from the production of cocoa.
The President also revealed that he has directed the Minister for Food and Agriculture to direct COCOBOD to work towards increasing domestic processing of cocoa up from the current levels to a minimum of 50% of annual production by 2020.
He further stated that processing of cocoa must go beyond just grinding the beans, to the tertiary manufacturing of products such as Chocolate and other beverages for consumption.
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