Historical analysis · current-data companion
The 2025 WITS HS6 summary has no available product observations; the 2024 source could not be verified. The cocoa-processing shares below remain dated 2023 and are not presented as current. Updated producer inflation provides general cost context but cannot substitute for cocoa prices, processing margins or export composition.
Read the September 2026 data briefing →Key finding
Non-defatted cocoa paste represented approximately 23.0% of the combined export value of these two cocoa products in 2023.
A limited product comparison
Paste exports divided by the combined value of paste and beans give about 23.0%; the corresponding bean share is about 77.0%. This concerns two observed categories, rather than the entire cocoa chain. It demonstrates that the selected processed product had an export market alongside beans. It does not reveal how much cocoa was processed domestically or whether processors captured a greater margin. Export value combines quantity and price, and the extract contains neither a full product basket nor production costs.
Investigate conversion economics
Our interpretation is that a processing study should move from the export mix to the economics of converting inputs into saleable outputs. Relevant evidence would include bean specifications, conversion yields, energy requirements, throughput, quality acceptance and contracted offtake. Financing needs depend on when beans are purchased and customers pay. The observations support investigating these questions; they cannot answer them. A plant can operate in an established export category and still face weak economics if its input, utility or financing conditions differ from those of existing suppliers.
A focused next-stage study
Start with the intended product and buyer requirements. Obtain comparable quotations for inputs and equipment, and validate achievable yields with technical evidence. Compare alternative operating scales with consistent assumptions about capacity utilisation, identifying confirmed inputs and remaining hypotheses. Interview prospective buyers about specifications and purchase commitments, rather than asking only whether they see potential. A decision needs a documented operating model and an attainable route to customers. This brief identifies a historical trade pattern that can help scope that work, without claiming a completed feasibility assessment.
Method and reference period
The two cocoa entries in the supplied dataset are beans at US$1,107.35582 million and non-defatted paste at US$330.66025 million. Their sum is divided by the rounded WITS merchandise export total to estimate the combined share. Paste is also divided by the two-product sum. The analysis converts units but does not adjust for inflation or estimate quantities. Displayed percentages are rounded.
Limitations
Other cocoa products, domestic consumption, imports, re-exports and intermediate purchases are outside this extract. The paste share is not a national processing rate or domestic value-added measure. One year cannot show a trend. The series title identifies the subject; this issue offers historical evidence, not a forecast or verified investment opportunity.
Sources and reuse
- Ghana Trade Summary 2023 — leading HS6 export products
World Bank WITS; underlying merchandise statistics: UN Comtrade · Reference period: 2023 · Retrieved 2026-09-12
Source usage conditions - UN Comtrade — Policy on use and re-dissemination
United Nations Statistics Division · Reference period: Policy checked on retrieval date · Retrieved 2026-09-12
Original editorial desk analysis prepared with AI assistance. No named human signoff or peer review is asserted.