Hugh Martin IF THE Ministry of Agriculture really wanted to get its cocoa rehabilitation programme going, it should have declared February 'Cocoa Month'. Why? Because more chocolate is sold in February than at any other time of the year. As for some unknown reason, it is the most popular gift of lovers on Valentine's Day. I guess it may have to do with the fact that women seem to be particularly fond of it.
Chocolate is one of the world's great favourites in its many forms. It has been so since the early 1830s when the chocolate bar was first made from cocoa. Prior to that, cocoa was consumed mainly as a drink, and its production locally and overseas was of very little economic importance. When the sugar industry went into decline, round about the same time cocoa production soared and at one time looked as if it could be the replacement for the sugarcane.
Last year cocoa production was 690 tons. It was 767 tons in 2002 and 930 tons in 2001.
This downward slide would seem to suggest a near total loss of interest in this crop by farmers. It would not explain however the production in 2000 of 754 tons nor the projected 900 tons for 2004. I got these figures from a document sent me by JAS President, Senator Norman Grant, so I believe they are accurate. I cannot however share the optimism of a revival contained in his article because I've been there before.
In 1998 following my visit to the Denbigh Show I did a radio programme on which I said the following:
"At Denbigh last year one of the displays I visited was that of the Cocoa Industry Board and I spoke then with Mr. Dunstan Gaynor, co-ordinator of Extension. The picture was not a bright one but the Board was putting in place measures to encourage cocoa growers not to abandon their fields. It now appears that those efforts met with success because at this year's show the atmosphere at the Board's booth was charged with confidence and optimism. I spoke with Mr. Neville Condappa, Secretary Manager of the Board, and he told me of a remarkable turnaround in the fortunes of the industry as farmers responded to the incentives provided by the Board and began to tend their fields with a new enthusiasm.
The result was a marked increase in production which has translated into more money in the pockets of the farmers, not simply because the price per box was increased from $200 to $270, but because their production per acre has increased as well. Production of wet cocoa for the entire crop in 1997 was 1,600 tons. By the end of July this year production had surpassed that amount by eight per cent. Price incentive and improved Extension services proved to be great stimulants and farmers responded by returning to their fields to take care of their trees. But is the Cocoa Board beating its chest too soon? Is this upward trend sustainable? Can the higher price to the farmers be maintained at that level since there has been no corresponding increase on the international market where we sell our product?"
Well, it seems that those questions were well worth the asking and the answers at the time, though somewhat reassuring, were off the mark. The one that must be asked now though is: what happened in the two years between 1998 and 2000 that resulted in an unbelievable fall in production from 1728 tons to 754 tons? As far as I know there was no reduction in the price. In fact the price per box last crop was $425 while the current price is $590 per box. My information is that while our cocoa is rated pretty high for quality and fetches a reasonable price the buyers are not over-enthusiastic about entering into contracts because of the small volume and the inconsistency in supply.
It is also well known that a major cause of the low production figures is not so much that cocoa yields are poor but more that farmers have too few trees per acre and don't consider it worth the effort to tend them or to reap them. The current approach by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Cocoa Industry Board is to encourage and assist farmers to increase their plant population per acre. This is being done through a J$8 million project funded by the Development Bank of Jamaica. Interested farmers will receive assistance in the form of seedlings, fertiliser, pesticides and technical advice.
It would be a pity if this latest attempt to rehabilitate the industry fails. Apart from the fact that cocoa can make a significant contribution to our foreign exchange earnings it is one of the products that make a name for the country. Because of its unique flavour and high quality Jamaican cocoa is used to blend others. Like our coffee, pimento, ginger and hot peppers, it has a ready market and we cannot produce enough of it. Cocoa growers should understand that profits are best made from efficient production of large volumes rather than from high prices for limited supplies.
Hugh Martin is a communication specialist and farm broadcaster. E-mail: humar@cwjamaica.com.
