The 2020 National Best Farmer, Mr Solomon Kwadwo Kusi, will soon unveil a new GH¢8 million cocoa dryer house at Mpataba-Kusikrom, near Elubo, in the Jomoro cocoa enclave of the Western Region.
He explained that with the new dry house technology, farmers could cut drying period of cocoa beans from three weeks to seven days, thus reducing the drudgery and labour cost.
Mr Kusi told The Ghanaian Times that “The new innovation is my dream to promote good agronomy practices. We want to increase efficiency, resilience and improve quality of Ghana’s cocoa beans in Kusikrom, Elubo and beyond, by 100 per cent
The project aims to reduce post – harvest losses, improve cocoa beans’ quality, boost cocoa production, family incomes, and also enhance wealth for industry players.
Being the brain-child of Mr Kusi, the cocoa dryer was designed, fabricated and assembled by Ghanaian engineers at the Kusikrom farm cottage, located about, three kilometres off the Elubo-Takoradi road.
Constructed with local materials such as timber and corrugated metal roofing, the drying house features a well-ventilated shed that protects cocoa beans from rain.
Sharing his experience on the breakthrough story with The Ghanaian Times, at the Kusikrom cottage, Mr Kusi said, “this is the first of its kind in Ghana and Africa.”
He indicated that the drying area consisted of several raised platforms supported by concrete pillars and slated galvanised metal pipes, overlaid with traditional Ghanaian drying mats made from raffia palm.
“It is also fitted with fans that allow free airflow beneath the cocoa beans, facilitating even drying, extends from the open space to the shed,” he added.
Mr Kusi again told The Ghanaian Times that the drying mats at ground floor of a three-storey building were fitted with rails and wheels for easy movement in and out of the shed, and could handle between 30 to 100 bags per day.
The shed is durable and cost-effective and allow drying to continue even during unfavourable weather conditions, he explained.
He narrated that as the best tree crop farmer in 2019, he led a delegation to Morocco and learnt how that country had utilised land with storey buildings, reserving more arable lands for agricultural purposes.
Moreover, he stated that feat was achieved with technical assistance provided by the Dean, School of Sustainable Engineering, University of Cape Coast, Prof. Robert Sarpong Amoah and, Head, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Prof. Ernest Ekow Abano, of the same university.
Describing the project as a significant milestone in Ghana’s cocoa industry, the Elubo District Cocoa Officer, Mr Benjamin Amo, added that the new Kusi dryer was a modern solution for persistent weather conditions.
The Western South Region, Ghana’s largest cocoa-producing area, he emphasised, experienced the highest levels of rainfall in the country with persistent cloudy, drizzling, and rainy weather conditions between June and August, the peak cocoa production season, which adversely affected the drying of cocoa beans.
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