Ghana’s graded and sealed (G&S) cocoa arrivals hit 44,000 tonnes between the start of this year’s harvest on October 1 and October 17, up 7.3% from the same period of the previous season, data from marketing board Cocobod showed on Monday.

G&S is cocoa that has been quality checked and sealed in bags by Cocobod and is ready to be shipped.

According to Cocobod data, G&S cocoa arrivals for the 2017/18 season had reached 60,000 tonnes in the same period.

Cocoa production in Ghana is expected to total 850,000 tonnes this season, according to Cocobod’s forecast.