Family-owned Afrotropic Cocoa Processing is set to triple capacity to 45,000 tonnes at its factory in Ghana, the world's no.2 cocoa producer, by October 2008, managing director Carlo Dagnino Monta said on Tuesday.
The 15,000-tonne capacity plant made its first exports of cocoa liquor, a key ingredient for chocolate, to buyers in western and eastern Europe in April, he said.
"By January, we will be producing cocoa liquor, butter and powder. By September or October 2008, we will have more capacity," he told Reuters.
Investor interest in cocoa processing in Ghana has risen since a 2002/03 civil war in neighbouring Ivory Coast, the world's biggest cocoa grower, ignited concerns over potential disruption to processing operations there.
Afrotropic is one of four firms processing cocoa in Ghana, which is set to see installed processing capacity reach almost 300,000 tonnes by next year.
The West African country produces an annual average of about 600,000 tonnes of beans , with the 2005/06 crop registering a record 740,000. Poor rainfall means that the 2006/07 harvest is likely to fall short of an earlier 700,000-tonne forecast.
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