Kade (Eastern Region) -- Cocoa farmers have been advised to adopt farming practices which would enable them to produce good quality cocoa beans for the country to maintain its position as the world's leading producer of the commodity.

M. D. Sewu, Quality Control officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board in-charge of the Kade District gave the advice at a farmers' forum organised by the Cocoa Merchant Ghana Limited (CMGL), a licensed cocoa buying company (LBC) at Kade.

Forty-eight farmers who sold their cocoa beans to the company were rewarded for good performance with each receiving a cutlass and a pair of Wellington boots. Sewu told them that they should harvest their produce at regular intervals and allow fermentation of the beans to last for six days to give the beans the proper aroma and good taste.

On drying, he asked the farmers to have the beans thoroughly dried up to five or six days. Sarpong Siaw, the Kwaebibirem District Co-ordinating Director, asked farmers to desist from indiscriminate bush burning, especially during the dry season to avoid disastrous consequences.

He advised LBCs to refrain from manipulating their weighing scales to cheat farmers. Francis Frimpong, Human Resources Manager of CMGL, praised cocoa farmers in the Kade District for the good quality cocoa they offered for sale.

The Kade District Manager of the company, A. D. Mireku, while expressing gratitude to the government for undertaking the mass cocoa spraying exercise, urged farmers to take advantage of it to expand their farms to earn more income to improve their living standards and educate their children.

He asked the company to consider providing marketing officers with vehicles to facilitate their work. Barima Gyakorang Adu Twum, II, Kadehene, asked the farmers to reciprocate the gesture by selling their cocoa beans to the company.