Freetown, Sierra Leone – 5thSeptember 2025
The Produce Monitoring Board (PMB)- insert Brief Mandate – has successfully concluded its inaugural stakeholder consultative engagement in Kenema with cocoa exporting cooperatives and cocoa exporters, following confirmed reports of low-grade cocoa beans illegally entering Sierra Leone from neighboring Guinea and Liberia. -Objective –
The consultations, held on 28th August 2025 at the Provincial Secretary’s Office, Maxwell Khobe Street, specifically updated exporters on key developments undermining the cocoa sector in relation to the PMBs mandate in ensuring compliance, sustainability, and the global competitiveness of Sierra Leone’s cocoa.
The Executive Chairman, Mr. Raymond Katta, raised grave concern over the increasing incidence of low-grade cocoa beans being smuggled into Sierra Leone without proper geolocation and. He highlighted to stakeholders that the PMB Act of 2013 empowers the Board to regulate the sector, safeguard the quality of Sierra Leone’s produce, and protect farmers’ livelihoods, which are vital for the country’s economic growth.Chairman Katta highlighted PMB’s responsibility to enforce compliance with national standards and emerging global trade regulations, including the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), while ensuring the sector remains profitable, competitive, and sustainable.
Key messages from the Stakeholder engagement:
• The need for close cooperation between the cocoa producers/exporters and the PMB to ensure the sector is safeguarded and the country’s cocoaof excellence reputation and its organic niche is maintained
• The strategic role of the PMBin ensuring that the country’s cocoa sector is compliant with national and international regulatory standards, transforming farming communities from impoverishment to prosperity and catalyzing the sector for economic growth and foreign exchange stabilization.
• The urgent need to improve produce traceability (source of origin), strengthen border monitoring, and curb the inflow of sub-grade cocoa beans from neighboring countries;to ensure the country continues to access international markets and benefit from premium prices.
• The importance ofnot leaving the sector unregulated while ensuring that there is restraint from overregulation with PMB facilitating a fine-balance between regulation and overregulation.
Feedback from to the PMB:
Exporters raised a number of issues and proffered the following recommendations:
• Strengthen PMB’s presence at border crossing points across Sierra Leone to curbillegal cross-border trade.
• Empower PMB field staff with logistical support such as motorbikes for effective monitoring.
• Train farmers on proper fermentation techniques to maintain Sierra Leone’s organic cocoa niche.
• Establish a one-stop shop, preferably at PMB, to ease export documentation and certification processes
• Align the pricing formula with the EU Market which is the major export hub
• Government to consider waiving process for essential export items like juteand dry bags.
Signed:
Raymond Katta
Executive Chairman
