Regional and district chief cocoa farmers have been urged to be alert and help expose illegal activities that deny the nation of revenue from cocoa.
They should monitor the operations of purchasing clerks to prevent them from diverting cocoa beans bought in their districts to other areas.
Alhaji Alhassan Bukari, National Chairman of the Cocoa, Coffee, and Sheanut Farmers Association (GCCSFA), said collective vigilance and early reporting of illegal activities were necessary to help reduce widespread smuggling of cocoa.
He was addressing a joint meeting with chief farmers and regional management of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) in Kumasi on Thursday, as part of his tour of Ashanti.
He spoke of the need for active involvement of chief farmers in the distribution of farm inputs and other initiatives, aimed at raising
production and check corrupt practices in the cocoa industry.
Alhaji Bukari cautioned that the Association should not be used for partisan politics, and said the focus should be on working with the
Government to promote the welfare of the farmer.
He said members should build on the strong foundations of the founding fathers to ensure that farmers took their rightful place in society.
He noted the pivotal role cocoa farmers continued to play in the nation's development and appealed to the government to always uphold their welfare.
Alhaji Bukari encouraged farmers to expand their farms to boost output and maintain the quality of Ghana's cocoa beans.
Mr S.E Bisiw, Ashanti Regional Manager of the Quality Control Company of the COCOBOD, expressed concern about the fluctuating trend of cocoa production in the region, and said refusal of some farmers to apply fertilizers and adapt to new production techniques were to blame for this.
He said even though cocoa production in the region went up to about 120,000 tonnes last season, indications in the first quarter of this year were not encouraging.
Mr Bisiw counselled the farmers to avoid the use of unapproved agro-chemicals since this was harmful not only to the cocoa beans but food
crops.
They should also stick to correct practices in cocoa fermentation to prevent the emergence of purple beans.