Sekondi, Nov. 06, GNA - Mr Isaac Osei, Chief Executive of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) on Monday advised cocoa farmers against spreading their farms with Gammalin 20 popularly known as DDT. Mr Osei who is on a week's tour of Western Region, gave the advice during a courtesy call on Mr Anthony Evans Amoah, Western Regional Minister.

He said the ban on the use of Gammalin 20 by cocoa farmers was still in force although the World Health Organisation (WHO) had approved DDT for mosquito prevention in Africa.

=93Lifting the ban on DDT by WHO does not mean cocoa farmers can apply it on their farms,=94 he added.

Mr Osei said the management of COCOBOD was developing its own capacity to test the level of chemicals in cocoa beans before being exported to prevent rejection of Ghana's cocoa on the world market. He noted that Japan recently rejected cocoa beans she imported from Ghana because of the detection of high levels of some chemicals in cocoa beans produced last year.

Mr Osei said rejection of the cocoa beans was the result of new measures being implemented in Japan on the "Minimum residue limits of chemicals in cocoa beans" introduced by Japanese Government this year. He announced that the chemicals Japanese complained about had been withdrawn from the market.

Mr Osei said management of COCOBOD was concerned about chemicals used on cocoa farms because the European Union (EU) would soon introduce measures to check chemical levels in cocoa beans.

He expressed concern about the low quality cocoa beans being smuggled into the country from La Cote d'Ivoire.

Mr Osei called on the Western Regional Coordinating Council to endeavour to halt the smuggling of cocoa through the western border into the country.

He said management of COCOBOD had given six pick-up vehicles to Officer and men of the Second Battalion of Infantry at Apremdo near Takoradi for anti-smuggling operations along the borders. The Chief Executive of COCOBOD said funds had been made available to 18 registered Licensed Buying Companies (LBC) in the region to purchase cocoa.

He asked cocoa farmers to expose LBCs who defaulted in the payment of cocoa purchased or adjusted weighing scales to cheat them to be prosecuted and their licences withdrawn.

Mr Osei said some selected roads in cocoa growing areas in the Western, Central, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regions, would be tarred to facilitate cocoa evacuation.

In addition, he said measures had been instituted to prevent congestion at the Takoradi Port.

Mr Amoah expressed concern about the deplorable roads in major cocoa growing areas in the region and appealed to the management of COCOBOD for assistance to rehabilitate them.

He pledged the commitment of the Western Regional Coordinating Council to collaborate with COCOBOD to improve the living standards of cocoa farmers in the region.