Afarinick and Meiji Collaborate on Agroforestry Cocoa Farm Development in Ghana

Accra: Ghanaian-owned farm and agri-forest restoration company Afarinick Company Limited (ACL) has entered into a partnership with Japan's Meiji Co., Ltd. to promote sustainable and circular practices in Ghana's cocoa value chain. According to Ghana Web, the two companies signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) in Accra on Monday, September 14, 2026, during a ceremony marking 100 years of Meiji Milk Chocolate and the company's longstanding relationship with Ghana. The event brought together representatives of the Government of Ghana, the Ghana Cocoa Board, the Embassy of Japan, and other stakeholders. Joe Forson, Executive Chairman of Afarinick Company Limited, and Bunjiro Yao, President and Representative Director of Meiji Co., Ltd., signed the agreement. Under the LOI, the two companies will work towards developing an agroforestry cacao farm in Ghana, with the utilisation of farm plant waste as a key component of the initiative. The partnership will focus on developing a circular agroforestry cacao model that co mbines cocoa production with agroforestry and the productive use of materials generated within the farming system. Afarinick operates in farm management, forest restoration, sustainable agriculture, reforestation, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), among other areas. The company also owns a 2,000-acre sustainable cocoa plantation in the Volta Region, where cocoa is cultivated alongside plantain and indigenous trees. The plantation incorporates irrigation and sustainable land-management practices. The partnership with Meiji is expected to explore ways of making greater use of plant waste generated from cocoa farming while improving the sustainability of production. The initiative is intended to serve as a model for combining cocoa production, agroforestry, and circular resource use within the cocoa value chain. The companies stated that the partnership would contribute to discussions around resource efficiency and sustainable cocoa production in Ghana. The agreement also provides an opportunity for A farinick to work with an international food company on the development of sustainable agricultural practices in Ghana's cocoa sector.