COCOBOD holds rallies for farmers

Ehyiam (E/R), April. 26, GNA - Mr. Karikari Addo, Eastern Regional Manager of the Quality Control Division of COCOBOD at the weekend, called on cocoa Purchasing Clerks (P/Cs) of the licensed buying companies in the country to be extra vigilant and ensure that they buy only well fermented and properly dried beans from farmers in order to maintain quality.

Mr. Addo was emphatic that farmers who presented adulterated cocoa for sale or grading/sealing, contrary to the cocoa industry regulation 1968 L.I. 598, could be arrested and prosecuted.

He was addressing separate rallies organised by the Akim Oda Quality Control (QC) department of COCOBOD in the Eastern Region, at Ehyiam and Kyeremase on Saturday.

The purpose of the rallies was to whip up the enthusiasm of the farmers to produce good quality cocoa beans and to reduce the incidence of purple, slate and other defects in the beans.

It also offered the regional manager the opportunity to learn about their problems at first hand and to help find solutions to them, as well as accessing how the disease and pest control exercise was progressing in the district.

Mr. Addo noted with concern that some greedy farmers, in conjunction with some unscrupulous Purchasing Clerks (P/Cs), whose diabolical intentions were geared towards making more money at the expense of quality produce, sold cocoa that was not properly fermented or thoroughly dried.

According to him, COCOBOD had no alternative measure than to confiscate such adulterated cocoa, since they might undermine Ghana's hard won reputation as the world's leading exporter of quality cocoa beans.

He stressed that farmers could help to maintain the quality of cocoa on the world market, if they continued to practice sun drying after fermentation and also avoiding hasty and smoke drying of the beans.

Mr. Addo explained: "This would allow proper chemical reaction to take place", adding that Ghana's method of producing cocoa had been internationally accepted and therefore, received paid-premium on cocoa exported.

The Manager advised cocoa farmers to desist from using unauthorised chemicals to spray their cocoa to avoid adverse effect. He said COCOBOD recommended chemicals including; "confidor, akate, master and actara" for use on the Akate disease, while the Black Pod disease could be controlled with chemicals like "ridomil, kocide, cacocobre rpt cacocobre, champion and nordox".

Mr. Kwadwo Kyei, Principal QC Officer, Akim Oda District, said based upon previous rallies with the farmers here, there were indications that they were adopting the guidelines given them and were also practicing the seven-day fermentation period to allow the beans to dry well.

He hoped that the seasons ahead could experience a dramatic reduction in the incidence of purple, slate and other defects in the beans.

The Principal Officer stated that a research had indicated that that the cocoa beans had a medicinal value such as diabetes and hypertension, adding; "this could contribute to the health of the people producing them as well".

Mr. Kyei noted that cocoa beans that were not rpt not properly fermented and thoroughly dried, apart from shrinking in its size and losing weight, also developed a lot of defects.

The current Birim Central Municipal best farmer, Mr. Emmanuel Duah, commended the Akim Oda Cocoa District Quality Control Department of COCOBOD for the farmers' education forum and promised to abide by the rules and regulations governing the fermentation process.

Mr. Danso suggested that during the closure of the main cocoa season, the Department should educate farmers and instruct them to dry their cocoa beans well to avoid occurrence of the purple beans issue.