Youth Encouraged To Venture Into Cocoa Farming

The Sunyani District officer at the Quality Control Company Limited of COCOBOD, Isaac K. Essien, has encouraged the Youth to consider going into Cocoa farming as it remains a very lucrative venture, which can spare them the stressful ordeal of seeking nonexistent white colour jobs.  

Speaking during an Interaction with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, (GBC), in Sunyani on the activities of Quality Control Company, he stressed that most of the challenges the Youth in Ghana are going through, may be attributable to failure to see agric as a lucrative job avenue and not a punishment. 

Mr. Isaac Essian was speaking about the general activities of the COCOBOD’s Quality Control Company Limited in Bono Ahafo. 

He said the Quality Control is mandated to develop and provide systematic strategies to ensure the supply of best grade cocoa to both local and international markets. 

Mr. Essien added that throughout the world Ghana's Cocoa is the standard against which all others are measured, thus making it the best cocoa, especially for manufacturing of chocolate.  

He said cocoa from Ghana continues to enjoy high premium on the world’s market because of its unsurpassed high quality and other attributes. 

He said the status of Ghanaian cocoa has been diligently maintained over the years, through the effective quality control practices, supervised by the Quality Control Company Limited.   

Turning to the Bono-Ahafo region, he said the Region has eight district offices of the Quality Control Company in  places like Sunyani, Techiman, Bechem and Goaso. 

Mr. Essien added that apart from the sealing and grading, they also undertake dis-infestation activities in cocoa areas periodically to ensure that the cocoa beans that comes from Bono-Ahafo are of the best quality. 

He revealed that they also extend their dis-infestations activities to individuals, institution and organizations when invited. 

He ceased the opportunity to advise cocoa farmers and the License Buying Agents to prepare their cocoa properly to maintain its premium status.  

He consequently urged them to ensure thorough drying and fermentation and absence of abnormal or foreign odours and any evidence of adulteration. 

He said cocoa beans must also be reasonably free from living insects, broken beans, fragments and pieces must be reasonably uniform in size. 

He advised farmers to take preventive measures to protect their cocoa from bushfires during the harmattan.

Mr. Essien again called on the youth not to always look for white color jobs but go into farming especially cocoa faming. 

He added that farming may be capital intensive and challenging but rewarding in the long run.


GBC