Plantation • Cocoa bean seeds is first put in nursery. • As the tree reaches 1 to 1.5 feet the transplant to the plantation • Pods grow directly on trunk on branches of tree • There are 20 to 40 seeds of cocoa beans & a tree produces about 0.5Kg to 2Kg beans per year • The first cocoa can be harvested after 2 to 3 years
12. Harvest • The pods required approx 5 to 6 months to fully develop • The harvest could be year long but the main crops are from November to April • Pods are removed from trees with a tool which is a stick with along blade at the end • The empty pods are discarded & used as fertilizers