Participants in a group photo at the event
The Deputy Director in charge of research and evaluation at Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Eric Amegor, has mentioned that a jail term of 10 years will be proposed for smugglers of cocoa beans into the country.
Speaking at the 4th European Union Deforestation Regulation multi stakeholder event, he stated that the previous laws for smugglers of cocoa were lenient emphasising that the new proposal for review has been sent to Cabinet for approval.
He indicated that once approved smuggled cocoa beans will be confiscated and smugglers will pay five times the value of the cocoa with 200,000 penalty units, or face a jail term of 10 years.
He mentioned that the introduction of barcode on cocoa beans has help in the traceability of the cocoa which starts from the farm.
“If you look at the meeting procedures on the traceability. It starts from the farm where segregation is being done, and facts are given at the moment the cocoa is bagged before it is evacuated to the box for shipment,” he said.
EU Ambassador to Ghana, Rune Skinnnebach, mentioned that deforestation is a global crisis that threatens the climate, livelihoods, and the future of Ghana’s cocoa sector.
He added that the EU, which is a major consumer of commodities linked to deforestation, is therefore taking bold action through the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), a landmark law to promote the consumption of ‘deforestation-free’ products and reduce the EU’s impact on global deforestation and forest degradation.
He stated that in Ghana, the cocoa sector stands at the forefront of EUDR implementation highlighting that Cocoa represents 95% of export value of the seven EUDR commodities, which also include wood, coffee, cattle, rubber, palm oil, and soya.
Deputy Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, Elikem Kotoko, stated that the EUDR represents a significant advancement of the collective efforts to combat deforestation and promote sustainable practices across various industries.
He stated that the regulation challenges authorities to ensure that commodities like cocoa are sourced responsibly, without contributing to deforestation.
By Florence Asamoah Adom