1.
GV: flags PULL OUT TO GV factory.
0.11

2.
GV: minister Mamadou Coulibaly arriving and greeted by officials. (2 shots)
0.21

3.
CU: sack of cocoa TILT UP TO conveyor belt.
0.26

4.
SV: M. Coulibaly and factory official's standing and Coulibaly cuts ribbon and moves on to inspect factory.
0.38

5.
SV: factory operators working machinery.
0.43

6.
SV AND GV minister escorted through factory and shown cocoa beans. (3 shots)
1.01

7.
GV PAN: bags of cocoa
1.09



Initials RH/CG/PNG/1650



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: INTRODUCTION: In Ivory Coast, a new storage factory especially designed to conserve cocoa opened in Abidjan on Saturday (15 January). The factory is unique of its kind in Africa and could boost the country's production considerably.

SYNOPSIS: The factory is a breakthrough for cocoa producers. For the first time, it is possible to guarantee the preservation of cocoa for many months without harming the product's quality. Mr. Mamadou Coulibaly, President of the Economic and Social Council in Ivory Coast opened the factory.

The Ivory Coast is the world's third leading cocoa producer after Ghana and Brazil. With this new development it could become number one. Not only will the factory preserve the cocoa, it will also improve the country's trade by regulating sales throughout the whole year.

The factory itself has 10 steel chambers, each capable of holding 300 tons of cocoa. These steel tight compartments operating on neutral gas guarantee fire prevention and automatically kill any insects on the plants. The factory, which has cost the government a total of 600 million francs CFA (120 million sterling) is capable of stocking ??? 250,000 tons of cocoa a year. Research is continuing into the development of similar models for the preservation of various other agricultural products.