Accra, Dec. 23, GNA - The Management of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) on Friday blamed Licensed Cocoa Buying Companies (LBCs) for the near congestion created by truckloads of cocoa at the ports and announced that it was putting in measures to clear the backlog.

In a statement signed by COCOBOD Chief Executive, Kwame Sarpong in Accra, the Board said it had noted with concern a line-up of truckloads of cocoa at the ports, especially at Takoradi, which had created a near congestion and attracted some press coverage recently.

"This situation has been caused by a build-up of trucks dispatched by Licensed Cocoa Buying Companies far in excess of their daily allocations.

"COCOBOD Management finds the spectacle at the ports very reprehensible and considers it as an affront to efforts aimed at regulating the delivery of cocoa to the ports, in the face of limited facilities.

It said the COCOBOD Management had accordingly put in measures to clear the backlog and restore sanity at the environs of the ports. "Punitive measures would also be instituted against LBCs, which would violate their truck allocations to create congestion." COCOBOD assured the public that it was in control of the situation at the ports in line with its role as the regulatory institution of the cocoa industry.