Cote d’Ivoire, the world’s leading cocoa producer with a 40 percent supply, plans to process 100 percent of its beans by 2030.
Ivorian Prime Minister, Patrick Achi, laid the foundation stone of a cocoa processing plant on Thursday in San-Pedro, in the southwest of the country, and urged the emergence of many national champions.
“It is necessary that in our country, we can see the emergence of great industrialists” as the president of Atlantic Group, Kone Dossongui, the promoter of this processing unit, said the Ivorian Prime Minister, Patrick Achi.
An inspiring model, “Mr. Dossongui, you have given us lessons in humility, courage, endurance, passion and love for your country. You are the archetype of what (the head of state) advocates when he speaks of national champions,” he said.
The Ivorian government is committed to building national champions. To this end, the Prime Minister launched on October 5, 2022 the ‘PEPITE Cote d’Ivoire Program’ aimed at making SMEs champions in order to conquer foreign markets, including the African Continental Free trade Area (AfCFTA).
For the Minister of State, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani, the processing of cocoa is in line with the strategic axes of the development policy of the agro-industrial sector, whose objective is to strengthen the agricultural value chain.
The establishment of this industrial unit, according to Minister Adjoumani, is part of the government’s vision to contribute to the development of a dynamic agricultural sector, competitive and creator of wealth and employment.
Built on nine hectares, Atlantic Cocoa Corporation will invest CFAF 73 billion in this project. Technically, the plant will, among other things, grind cocoa, press liquor, roast, alkalize and winnow cocoa beans.
The plant will also be able to clean and dry beans. Its processing capacity is 64,000 tons per year. It will be expandable to 100,000 tons per year and generate many jobs for the youth, including 398 direct and 1286 indirect.
AP/fss/abj/APA