Atlas Commodities Limited has rejected claims by Old Tafo MP, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, that the company operates without its own warehouses, describing the allegation as false and misleading.
In a press statement dated February 24, 2026, the company said it maintains operational depots in major cocoa-growing areas across the country.
“Vincent Assafuah’s assertion that Atlas Commodities Ltd. has no warehouses is not true. Atlas has warehouses at cocoa growing areas in Ashanti, Eastern, Western and Central regions,” the statement said.
The response follows comments made by the MP at a press conference on February 23, where he suggested that Atlas may be operating from facilities belonging to the state-owned Produce Buying Company (PBC), in breach of regulations.
Mr Assafuah has raised concerns over possible conflicts of interest involving Atlas and officials of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), arguing that some private firms may be benefiting from access to state infrastructure.
He cited the Regulations and Guidelines for the Internal Marketing of Cocoa, 2015, which require Licensed Buying Companies to operate only in warehouses registered in their own names.
“Warehouses registered under PBC must not be used by another company for storage, grading, sealing or processing of cocoa,” he said at the time.
Atlas, however, insists it has maintained rented and registered depots in multiple districts since beginning operations in 2018.
According to the company, its facilities span several communities in the Ashanti, Eastern, Central and Western South regions, including Effiduase, Kade, Nyakrom, Tarkwa and Bogoso, among others.
The company said these arrangements are backed by tenancy agreements and are verifiable through records held by the Quality Control Company and COCOBOD.
It added that it holds sustainability certifications under the Rainforest Alliance programme, which it says reflects compliance with industry standards.
Atlas acknowledged that it temporarily used a PBC depot in Hohoe in December 2025 but described the move as an isolated, district-level arrangement.
The company said the facility was made available by the local PBC District Manager while Atlas was setting up operations in the Volta Region to prevent cocoa from being smuggled out of the country.
“Access to the PBC facilities was granted at the district level within the context of established operational relationships,” the statement noted, adding that borrowed jute sacks had since been replaced.
Mr Assafuah has also claimed that records at the Registrar-General’s Department still list some former officials as beneficial owners of the company, raising further conflict-of-interest concerns.
While Atlas maintains that it operates independently and within regulatory requirements, Mr Assafuah insists that questions remain over access to infrastructure and compliance with cocoa marketing rules.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com