Accra, May 30, GNA - Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) on Monday announced that Ghana achieved a record harvest in the cocoa main crop season provisionally fixed at 903,646 metric tons.

A statement issued in Accra by the Public Affairs Department of COCOBOD said this was the highest since the county registered its name on the international market as a producer of cocoa.

"The record production has been the result of concerted efforts by government, farmers, Ghana Cocoa Board and major players in the industry through the adherence to good agronomic methods, modern farming processes, payment of remunerative prices for the produce, development of hybrid cocoa seedlings, application of fertilisers, disease and pest control and scientific research," the statement said.

The light crop season begins on June 10, according to COCOBOD.

The statement said since 1999 governments, through COOBOD, had put in place pragmatic measures to ensure that Ghana maintained the quality of its beans for which it is noted worldwide, sustain and also increase cocoa production.

"Today we can boast of a record production and hope to reach the one million tons target by 2012/2013."

COCOBOD congratulated the hardworking cocoa farmers, Licensed Buying Companies, haulers, chemical and processing companies, the national anti-smuggling taskforce, COCOBOD, its divisions and subsidiaries and all stakeholders for the relentless efforts that had propelled the country to attain the record level of cocoa production.

"As we prepare to start the light crop season for 2010/2011, we encourage all our stakeholders to continue to work strenuously to enable us to achieve an all-time record of one million tons by2012/2013 crop season," the statement said.