Ghana cocoa purchases hit 485,234 tonnes by Jan. 3

ACCRA: Ghana's cocoa main crop purchases reached 485,234 tonnes by Jan. 3 since the season started Oct. 12, down 18.9 percent compared with the same period last year, data from industry regulator Cocobod showed on Wednesday.

Total purchases for week twelve ending Jan. 3 were 36,900 tonnes, up from 26,749 tonnes declared in the week before, according to the data.

Ghana, the world's second-largest cocoa grower after Ivory Coast, has projected a harvest of around 800,000 tonnes this season, down 5 percent on last year.