Cocoa smuggling taskforce seizes 100 bags in Old Akrade operation

The Anti-Cocoa Smuggling Taskforce, working with national security, has arrested two men in Asuogyaman for trying to smuggle 100 bags of cocoa beans to Togo.

The beans were hidden under chippings in a tipper truck.

This arrest is part of efforts to tackle rising cocoa smuggling, driven by higher prices in neighboring countries. Ghana’s cocoa industry is facing challenges like smuggling, climate change, and illegal mining, with production dropping sharply this year.

The task force has intercepted 250 tons of smuggled cocoa, but the country lost an estimated 160,000 tons in 2023/24.