Dominica is seeking to breathe new life into the local cocoa industry with the help of a project worth close to $2-million.
The Cocoa Rehabilitation Project is funded by the Banana Accompanying Measures (BAM) for the purchase of pruning tools and other equipment required for good husbandry practices geared towards enhancing the industry.
“The Ministry of Agriculture in Dominica has embarked upon a $1.9million cocoa rehabilitation project to revitalize the local cocoa industry,” said Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Harold Guiste at a three-day Regional Workshop on Food Safety Standards for Fine Flavor Cocoa at the Garraway Hotel on Tuesday.
According to him, the project which is an ongoing one, has a designated ‘cocoa coordinator’ and is a collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture and various stakeholders.
It aims to increase cocoa production on the island for both local consumption and export.
“Dominica has historically grown cocoa and has done so on a much larger scale than what is seen today,” Guiste said. “In recent years, however, the government of Dominica has been promoting and paying much attention to the cultivation of cocoa and making dedicated attempts to revitalize the cocoa industry.”
In this regard, he noted, there has been ongoing work with local farmers towards the establishment of new acreages and rehabilitation of existing fields, several training programs have been held under the Farmer Field School approach for teaching farmers’ improved cultivation and husbandry practices and post-harvest handling techniques.
Guiste also mentioned that soon, the Ministry will be embarking on a $280,000 modern cocoa sweating and drying facility.
He added that this level of public sector investment “is an indication of the level of commitment that the government of Dominica has towards boosting production, improving quality and the desire to move the cocoa industry forward.”
Meantime, one of the project coordinators, Delia Dominici, is of the opinion that Dominica is getting a rare opportunity to continue growing organic cocoa. She said many islands, like Dominica, have seen extensive cocoa plantations abandoned, in some cases, for two decades.
“The global cocoa markets now require minimum residual level of pesticides, mycotoxins, polycilcic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals etc. in cocoa which pose a threat to consumers in the European Union (EU) and other export countries as well for the local and regional consumers,” she said.
Recently Dominican, Gabriel Christian, announced that his chocolate brand, Chocolat de la Dominique, has partnered with a US firm to build a state of the art cocoa industry in Dominica.
And plant kannel to go with de kako. Right now with diabetes raging kannel is being touted as de remedy. Kannel if stored properly has a long shelf life. Most West Indian stores, bulk food shops and health food stores stock it. Do you know how much one vanilla bean costs? We have the land wasting. Niche markets do exist We just have to do the ground work.
Yawn are you not in love with the cocoa? Do not fall asleep on it I see u yawning already. it makes u sleep doesn’t it?
No relation to any Co-ordinator nor DOMA Yawn! Just the cocoa.
Dear Fellow Dominicans
I paid £18 for a Mauritian breadfruit, £15 for a St Lucian breadfruit at Shepherds Bush Market. When I asked the market trader why could I not find Dominican breadfruit, he told me that there was none!
I asked for mangoes, he gave me mangoes from the Dominican Republic!
I have been searching all over London for Dominican mangoes, cucumber, avocados, limes, dasheen, yams, bananas etc without success. Why oh why?
Now, the next great product is coconut oil, and guess what? Was there any Dominican Cold Pressed Coconut oil available? No. I paid £6.99 for a bottle of Jamaican Cold Pressed Coconut oil.
Such a fertile country, but not being used the way nature intended! Dominicans prefer to import everything, instead of being self-sufficient.
Dominican in London, you will be surprised but we have trouble finding that produce in Dominica itself these days. Only this morning I managed to get some loose bananas of indifferent quality from a grocery store in town @ E.C.$.2.07/lb, which works out at £1.11/kg. I wonder what the lowest price in London is for a kg of loose bananas.Those bananas are not always available and as for plantains, forget that altogether.
Ma Moses
Thanks for your comment.
I do buy bananas but not sure about the price. I will check and get back to you.
Dominica is missing an opportunity to generate huge returns on agricultural produce. I bulk-buy breadfruit, dasheen (which is my favourite) yam, Tania and I wash them with lime juice, slice and freeze them.
To cook them, I drop the frozen slices (no need to thaw) in boiling water. That way, I ensure that my daily portion of ‘West Indian food’ is guaranteed. Don’t forget a large portion of salad (West Indian cucumber, tomatoes,lettuce, grated cabbage with a dressing of lime juice, olive oil, Dominican seasoning pepper, fresh herbs!)
I love my English roast dinners and curries etc, but there is always room for my West Indian food!
So people start working our fertile land and export the produce to the UK! I am fed up of buying Non-Dominican produce!
Come home plant urs and be self sufficient DOMINICAN IN LONDON
Actually, when I visit Dominica (which is often), I am self-sufficient as I survive on the produce from my land.
Meanwhile, I am in London saving my earnings in Dominica to enable the banks to loan it for the betterment of my beloved Dominica!
Did you tell the tax people you have income in Dominica?
To borrow freely from Franz Kafka in “The Metamorphosis”, one morning a marijuana farmer on the lush tropical island of Dominica wakes up to find himself transformed into a cocoa farmer. And, can it be? Attempting to revive the cocoa industry is commendable but the question is, can it be an effective tool against the drug industry that has already taken over some areas when cocoa was dormant. The incentives to cocoa farmers have to be pretty good to compete with those who decide to take their chances and opt to grow marijuana.
Nearly all D/can farmers and most D/can males by extension (minus a few) are in love with the cocoa.
have been and will continue to be in love with it and reproduce it.
Marijuana is unto a great fight re: it’s legalization. Soon it will be legalized here . As elections become tighter in terms of the narrowing divide between Neo -DLP & UWP. Like they always do will circumvent laws to get their votes and be re-elected . This might just be the battle ground in the 2019 elections.
So His Ras must be Black! They will coexist.
two areas that will help alleviate poverty in DA.
Better than the RED Clinic. Men/Women will be producing something!
They will be farmers tradition or unconventional produce.
Like the good book said. D/cans need to be farmers ,economists manufacturers, doctors lawyers carpenters, engineers, fishermen( Unlike the political parties who want to be fishers of men/votes.
“What happened to the Coffee rehabilitation project and the processing plant?”
Excellent question: Prior to the election, they brought the Venezuelans to Dominica talking about the building, and installation of a coffee processing plant. One would hope by now we would be able to find Dominica coffee labeled on the shelves in Dominica, and hope that it would be sold internationally.
However; as everything else it in Dominica, everything destine to die prior to birth. We heard talks about geometrical electricity to be sold to Guadeloupe and Martinique, it seems to me Ambrose Son may have decided to shut down construction, since the people of Roseau South, fired his daddy! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahah. This coffee thing is dead, they are talking about cocoa now just because Gabriel Christian just launch his chocolate business in Dominica.
It died with Skrit’s dad Hugo. Maduro is dead wood already. Do you recall Café noir ? It died long b4 Chavez came on the D/can scence. Lol!
call…….
We want FET.
Fet my post was the first line DNO say too short lol!
Don’t look to the Venezuelans. They’re so broke they can’t even pay attention!
“I’m in love with the cocoa” lol maybe Triple K can advertise for all you especially the cocoa coordinator. lollol
Best thing 2 b in love with yawn. It can have being Farell Williams.
It can have you being like Farell wiliams. happy happy.
it to late for that some of we Dominicans are to monkey we cut all coco tree it had to plant bananas look what happing to bananas that’s wat haping wen u put all eggs in one basket
What happened to the Coffee rehabilitation project and the processing plant?
hope we don’t become the next Columbia
Same thing that happened to the Layou River hotel, the Moroccan hotel and the abbatoir I suppose.
Ask Maduro & Skrit. Man maduro cannot even study that now. he BZ looking 4 a country that will accept him within the next 3 months. I suggested Bird Island for he and his boys soldiers etc and Skrit et Al can visit on weekends but he say nuh! too close & bird island belongs to Venezuela so who ever takes power can get him. DA nuh he will be too obvious in a crowd.
Oh! That is why a certain vocal anti-Government Diasporan was so noticeably silent during the last General Elections campaign period.
Thought everyone’s in love with the cocoa!
That is good, provided we can add value here and not just export beans for processing elsewhere. I would like to see a cocoa processing industry established right here in the island. We cannot compete with the likes of Ghana on the world commodity market anyway and we may as well process the little we grow ourselves and make a name for Dominica as a producer of exclusive chocolate.
Long overdue the farmers have been crying out for new markets,Better late than never. There are so much quality produce in DA and no market for sales.There are plenty opportunity for job creation. Looking forward with optimism.
Correction – Better late than never…
Better late than Mr. Grell…
Only now thinks its a bit too late,so you all see the importance of agriculture now,Chavesz is resting in peace,no more handouts by Venezuela.
it’s never too late to go into agriculture…
Man you just need to take a rest. You never have anything positive to say on this site. There is absolutely nothing wrong in having your own political views but it is silly and immature to oppose everything that the ruling party does , be it good or bad simply because you are not a supporter of the party. When either one of these parties do something good we should give them their kudos, and similarly when either one messes up we should express our disapproval. However this sustained negativity against everything including against some very useful initiatives is really frustrating to readers who simply want to read the news.