Licensed cocoa buying companies (LBCs) have been told to aid farmers to stick with best practices that had over the decades helped the country to enjoy premium on its cocoa.

Mr Julius Martinson, the Ashanti Regional Manager of the Quality Control Company Limited (QCCL), said the beans should not only be taken through proper fermentation but must be thoroughly dried.

He made the call at a two-day capacity building workshop organized by OLAM Ghana Limited, one of the leading LBCs, for its purchasing clerks (PCs) in Kumasi.

More than 200 PCs from the company’s 42 operating districts were on hand to learn new ideas to achieve optimal performance.

Mr Martinson welcomed the effort OLAM was putting in to promote quality assurance and said this was a right step.

He emphasised that the QCCL will not compromise on its determination to uphold the quality of the nation’s beans, adding that, beans bought by any of the LBCs that did not pass the quality test would be rejected.

He used the occasion to rally the companies to lead the crusade against cocoa smuggling to the neighbouring countries.

Mr Eric Asare Botwe, LBC Head of OLAM Ghana Cocoa Business, said his outfit was training staff to bring more efficiency into its operations.

Their goal is to become a real force in the internal cocoa trade, he stated, and expressed optimism that they were on course.

Mr Amit Agrawal, Country Head, OLAM Ghana, commended the PCs for good work and urged them to keep that up.

He, however, cautioned against any acts, likely to dent the image of the company.