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Farmers to ensure proper fermentation of beans
Akim Oda (E/R), Feb. 23, Ghanadot/GNA - Cocoa
farmers in the Akim Oda Cocoa District of the Eastern
Region, have been advised to ensure proper fermentation of
the beans, before they are dried.
They should also ensure that the beans were thoroughly
dried, to help protect the premium status that the country
earned for the exportation of quality cocoa beans.
Mr Kwadwo Kyei, a Senior Quality Control Officer of the Akim
Oda District of the Quality Control Department of the Ghana
Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), gave the advice in an interview with
the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Akim Oda on Saturday.
He noted that 180,345 bags of cocoa were sealed at Akim Oda
for the period 2005 and 2006 light crop season, adding this
was the highest in the Eastern Region, but expressed regret
that there were no grades one or two recorded.
Mr Kyei attributed the trend to the incidence of purple
colour, which he said emanated from the bad mode of
fermentation by the farmers.
"Farmers can only avoid a recurrence, when they ferment the
beans very well", he cautioned.
The Senior Quality Control Officer explained further that
fermentation had to take six days after which the beans
would be poured on the drying mat and ensure that they were
thoroughly dried before sale.
Mr Kyei also advised purchasing clerks (PCs) to work
vigorously to ensure that the beans contained no foreign
matter like gravels, stones and oranges seeds and peels,
before purchasing the beans.
He urged PCs to avoid pre-financing the purchase of the
beans, since this practice had brought untold hardships to
some farmers and clerks.
GNA
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