The already fantastic relationship between Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and US Company, Hershey, which sources Ghana’s cocoa, is being deepened further.

A delegation from the company and one of its affiliates, Milton Hershey School, is in Ghana to have first-hand insight into the country’s cocoa sector.

The delegation led by Mr. Tim Wasielewski, a Senior Director of the Milton Hershey School, has toured some cocoa farms and other cocoa installations in some parts of the country.

They have visited Assin Sienchem in the Central Region, where they interacted with cocoa farmers.

They also visited the Cocoa Research Institute (CRIG) at Akyem Tafo, in the Eastern Region as well as the Cocoa Marketing Company (CMC) and the Cocoa Marketing Training School, both at Tema.

The delegation came to Ghana as an advance team to appreciate the nature of all the places associated with cocoa production in Ghana, in order to plan a conducive and well-thought-out trip for their students, who would be coming from Pennsylvania, USA, to Ghana.

It is expected that the students who will be visiting Ghana next year, would plant 1,000 canopy trees that would help provide shade for the cocoa trees at Assin Sienchem and its environs.

Dr. Francis Baah, Executive Director, Cocoa Health and Extension Division of COCOBOD took the US delegation to all the places they visited.

At CRIG, Dr. Gilbert Anim Kwapong, Executive Director of CRIG, Dr. Kwabena Opoku Ameyaw (director in-charge of cocoa) and Dr. Opoku George (Director in-charge of coffee) received the delegation.

Dr. Kwapong, who gave an overview of the work of the CRIG, said that certain trees are preferred due to the immense benefit they provide to cocoa trees.

According to him, trees that would be planted by the students next year, would be provided by the research institute, to prevent planting of tress that could cause more harm than good.

He revealed that, in the processing of cocoa beans for the market, the pod husk, bean pulp juice and the placenta, which constitute 66, 4 and 10% respectively of the fruit, are traditionally discarded, as waste.

“Research carried out at CRIG from 1970 to 1983 demonstrated that these wastes could be processed into commercially useful products. These products are as follows: From the pod husk-animal feed for ruminants, pigs, rabbits and poultry; potash for soft soap manufacturing, from pulp juice-wine, vinegar, alcohol, jam, pectin and soft drink from discarded beans, cocoa butter pomade and soap.

Products from Shea pulp and butter have been developed. Some of them are still in their developmental stages whilst others are being studied for their economic viability.

From Shea pulp-wine, vinegar and jam, while cosmetics and soap have been made from Shea butter,” he said.

Dr. Kwapong called on investors to come on board and partner CRIG to produce more of its unique products to feed the ever-growing markets.