Cocoa farmers asked to ferment cocoa for six days

Breman Jamra (C/R), Dec. 6 GNA - The Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) has advised cocoa farmers to use six days to ferment their cocoa beans and to turn them on the third and fifth days before drying to produce premium quality cocoa.

Mr Richard Felix Owusu, the District Quality Control Division Officer of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) announced this at the 2005 Farmers' Day Celebration at Breman Jamra in Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District.

He said that research by the CRIG had proved that shorter periods of fermentation of fresh cocoa beans produced high percentage of purple beans, which rendered the beans produced sub-standard.

Mr Owusu said following the persistent presence of purple beans in graded bags of cocoa the COCOBOD directed the CRIG to investigate the causes which research result had led to this recommendation. He said a release from COCOBOD in September this year indicated any cocoa purchased that had up 20 per cent of purple beans classified as grade one and those with between 21 per cent and 30 per cent should be designated as grade two while those above 30 per cent should be regarded as sub-standard.