Drying Cocoa Beans in Ghana

Cocoa serves as a major source of living for most people in Ghana. In the rural areas, most adults are farmers and have plantation farms which provide them with an income.
Ghana is the second largest producer of Cocoa in the world and cocoa is considered a natural resource because it grows on trees in the form of cocoa beans.
Drying cocoa beans
Cocoa beans may be dried in the sun. Spread the beans on boards raised 1 metre above ground level. The layer of beans should not be very thick; not more than 4 centimetres. Stir the beans often and protect them from rain.

Methods of drying Cocoa Beans
Drying cacao beans can be achieved in two ways: sun drying or artificial drying.

Sun drying is the method commonly used by small and bootstrapped farmers, as it has next to no overhead costs. In this method, the beans are spread evenly on mats or rugs and dried under direct sunlight. With dry and hot weather, this process is easily achievable.

The second method is extracting moisture artificially from the beans through mechanical drying. This requires an investment in machinery. It is better suited for cacao growing countries that have humid weather.