"There has been pest control, the mass-spraying of cocoa plantations and application of fertiliser," the source said, explaining the bumper crop.

The West African country's previous record main crop was in 1964/5, when it produced 580 000 tonnes.

Asked whether smuggling from neighbouring Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa grower which is still split in two after a civil war, had boosted the figure, the source said he doubted it had made a significant difference.

"We hear there is some smuggling going on but the quantities would not make such a substantial difference.

There are areas away from the border which have also produced sizeable increases over the previous years," the source said.

Analysts had expected Ghana to harvest around 500 000 tonnes in 2003/04, compared with an estimated 497 000 tonne crop in 2002/03, the highest in at least 30 years.

In Ivory Coast, cocoa arrivals at ports reached 1 337 505 tonnes between the start of the 2003/04 (Oct-Sept) campaign and July 11, official data from the Coffee and Cocoa Bourse (BCC) showed on Friday.

That compared with 1 328 781 tonnes delivered to ports during the same period of the 2002/03 season.

-Nampa-Reuters

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