Mr Samuel Badoo, Extension Coordinator for Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) at Adansi South District, who made the call, said it is important cocoa farmers secure their farms especially, when the rainy season was about to start.

Addressing a farmers' rally at the Tonkwase Number two community, in the District, he said farmers needed to prune their farms to allow the cocoa trees  to receive enough sunshine and air.

They should also endeavour to do periodic on- farm stock-taking to keep abreast of the quantity of cocoa trees on their farms, whiles taking into accounts the monies being invested in the farm's management, to help facilitate appropriate post-harvest accounting and assessments.

Mr Badoo urged farmers to allow their cocoa farms to be rehabilitated as this would give way for the replanting of new, healthy and disease-resistant varieties to ensure higher yields.

Mr Badoo said CHED would continue to intensify farmer sensitization programmes especially in the areas of proper pruning, pollination, rehabilitation and mass spraying, to help farmers harvest more cocoa beans.

Mr Samuel Asamoah, District Quality Control Officer, called on farmers to adhere to proper fermentation and drying processes in order not to compromise the quality of the cocoa beans.

He warned farmers against abuse of agro-chemicals and counselled them to use only those that have been recommended and approved by the Cocoa Research Institute.