Stakeholders urged to sustain quality of Ghana’s cocoa beans
Stakeholders in Ghana’s cocoa industry have been asked to maintain the quality of the country’s cocoa beans.
The call was made when about 100 cocoa depot and warehouse keepers in the Central Region, attended a day’s capacity building workshop on sanitary and Phytosanitary standards (SPS) in Cocoa Production.
The trainer of training workshop was organised by the Quality Control Company Limited a subsidiary of Cocoa Board in collaboration with the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Africa Cocoa Project, International Cocoa Organisation , Crop Life, United Nations Development Organisation and EDES-COLEACP, on the theme: “Good Warehouse Practices in the Cocoa Industry”.
The workshop, which was held in Assin Foso in the Central Region, among other things educated the participants appropriate depot keeping, to help mitigate the harmful effects of pesticide, residue and other contaminants in cocoa to help maintain market access.
It was also to establish appropriate and correct procedures for the implementation of good warehouse standard practices in order to meet SPS standards as well as to understand the importance of food hygiene and safety.
Mr Thomas Kwame Osei Acting Managing Director of Quality Control Company (QCC) said although the nation’s cocoa beans have received international recognition due to its good quality, it is imperative for stakeholder in the cocoa industry to help sustain the good quality by ensuring good hygiene practices.
He noted with concern that in recent times there has been complaints in the international market pertaining the quality of cocoa from Africa due to the excessive use of chemicals, which ends up contaminating the crop.
Mr Azalekor William a Principal Research officer , who took the participants through an over view of “SPS Africa Cocoa Project”, said it is a two -year programme of which five African cocoa growing countries , made up Ghana, Cote D’lviore , Nigeria Cameroun and Togo are beneficiaries.
He said the aim of the project is to ensure that all stakeholders in the cocoa industry understand and adhere to SPS and food safety standards along the cocoa value chain as well as engage in self- assessment with regards to compliance of SPS and food safety standards.
He said under the phase one, all stakeholders in the cocoa industry including farmers, depot and warehouse keepers, purchasing and marketing clerks, transporters and staff at the various ports would be given adequate training on how to properly handle cocoa beans to avoid contamination and to ensue easy access to the international market.
Mr Francis Enyan, Acting Deputy Regional manager in charge of Western South Region-Dunkwa, who took the participants through among others, good warehousing/storage practices, shed sanitation, general safety and security of warehouse, warehouse hygiene ,sanitation and cleanliness, warehouse management and warehouse personnel, pointed out that QCC is mandated by law to ensure cocoa industry regulation.
He said it is unhygienic for one to walk on cocoa beans during drying, bulking and bagging and that warehouses, should be adequately lit and ventilated, without leakages and spillages on the floor.
Mr Noah Kwasi Ababio Prah, Deputy Central Regional Manager of QCC, warned that it is an offence for one either to sell or buy un-dried cocoa beans.
Source: GNA