Accra, Sept. 5, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Wednesday encouraged cocoa producing countries in Africa to implement policies that promote both, value addition and domestic consumption to maximize returns.

He said, given the importance of the crop to their economies, they must adopt and implement the policy of value addition to boost returns, and also promote consumption on the continent to help influence the pricing.

Africa, which produced approximately 76 per cent of the total world cocoa output, last year processed only 14 per cent of its production and accounted for barely three per cent of the annual consumption. Europe, a non-cocoa producing continent, processed 42 per cent of the world's total production.

President Kufuor was addressing the second Africa Cocoa Summit in Accra, attended by delegations from Ghana, Nigeria, Cote d' Ivoire, Togo, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo and Guinea. Cocoa has been critical to the economies of West and Central African countries, providing employment for more than 50 per cent of the work force, and remains a major source of revenue for some economies. Productivity levels in many of the African countries are however lower than the rest of the world. While countries in Asia and America have yields above 800 kilograms per hectare, those in Africa record less than 500 kilograms per hectare.

Further, the continent loses about 50,000 tonnes of the crop annually to pests and diseases.

The delegates are discussing ways of defining a policy roadmap towards a sustainable Africa cocoa economy. President Kufuor said given the very well researched health and nutritional benefits of the crop, stakeholders in the industry should develop new recipes and menus to promote cocoa dishes. This is the way to introduce this "Food of the Gods" into Africa's cuisine, he added.

President Kufuor drew attention to the reported prevalence of child labour in the industry and asked the countries to take all measures to prevent the unacceptable practice.

He said in Ghana, the Government had taken legislative measures to ensure that such practices were eliminated.

He urged all to constantly remind themselves of their responsibilities to their children, saying, "We must remain alert so that there is no negative perception that might affect international demand for our cocoa."

The production and management authorities, he said, have been tasked to impose a regime of verification and stoppage of the inhuman practice in every form.

In a message read for him, Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Dua, called for the rational use of pesticides to reduce risks bordering on health and the environment.

He said Africa should work together and articulate strategies to sustain cocoa production and maintain the quality of the beans. Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Ghana's Finance Minister, said a ministerial meeting that preceded the summit had recommended among other things, the need to make cocoa farming more attractive to the youth, work together for the harmonization of international quality standards, promotion of domestic consumption and a commissioning of inventory of cocoa resources to enhance policy formulation. 05 Sept. 07