Akyem Ofoase, (E/R) Dec. 4, GNA - Cocoa farmers have been advised to ferment the beans very well for six days before drying them and to ensure that they were thoroughly dried before sale so as not to compromise their quality.

The Akyem Ofoase District Manager of the Quality Control Division of the Cocobod, Mr Anthony Kenu gave the advice at the fifth Cocoa Farmers Awards Day at Akyem Ofoase on Saturday.

He reminded the farmers that cocoa was the life-blood of the economy and they should do their work in a manner that would help boost the industry.

Mr Kenu called on Cocoa Marketing Clerks to cut and test the beans to differentiate between grade one and two and sub-standard cocoa beans during pre-sale inspection.

The District Manager of the Produce Buying Company (PBC), Mr Kojo Arhin, urged cocoa farmers to go back to the conventional fermentation process of cocoa beans to help avoid the presence of purple beans. He advised them to ensure that they sold good quality cocoa beans at all times to ensure that the government would be able to increase their income, saying, "it will be wasteful to produce more purple beans and receive less payment."

Mr Arhin reminded them that they held shares in the PBC and they should therefore sell their produce to the Company, which would also enable them to apply for scholarships for their wards in second-cycle institutions.

The District Chief Farmer, Nana Frempong Manso, appealed to cocoa farmers to pay back high-tech fertilizers sold to them on time to enable the government to supply them another consignment. Fifteen farmers were later presented with pairs of Wellington boots, solar lanterns, cutlasses, wax prints and certificates.