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Farmers urged to ferment cocoa beans properly
Akim Oda
(E/R), July 13, Ghanadot/GNA - The Quality Control Division
of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has advised cocoa farmers
to ensure adequate fermentation and drying of their cocoa
beans, before sales in order to help to protect the premium
quality of the country's cocoa.
Mr Kwadwo Kyei, Principal Quality Control Officer, gave the
advice when he interacted with farmers on the quality of
cocoa beans at Akim Oda in the Eastern Region.
Mr Kyei stated that the purple colour of the beans was as a
result of bad fermentation and advised that the only way
they could avoid a recurrence was to ferment the beans
properly.
According to him, it must be fermented very well for six
days, before putting them on the drying mat and to ensure
that they were thoroughly dried before sales.
Mr Kyei urged Purchasing Clerks (P/Cs) to do pre-sale
inspection to ensure that the beans did not contain any
foreign matter before they purchased the beans.
The Principal Officer was not rpt not happy about farmers
using child labour on their cocoa farms and cautioned them
against the practice and asked them to desist from using
children without allowing them to go to school.
He told them that the overseas buyers had decided not rpt
not to purchase cocoa from countries that used child labour
on their cocoa farms.
Mr Kyei advised the farmers to accept only Akuafo Cheques
whenever they sold their cocoa to the P/Cs and reminded them
of the numerous benefits that they could derive from that.
He urged the P/Cs to stop pre-financing the purchase of
cocoa, a practice, which he described as having brought
untold hardships to some of the farmers.
GNA
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