The Cocoa Cluster Development Project of Dominica, managed by the Compete Caribbean Partnership Facility (CCPF) and the Dominica Export Import Agency (DEXIA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Blue and Green Economy, Agriculture and National Food Security, seeks input from agro-processors in an effort to capture valuable data on the cocoa sub-sector, especially value-added aspects of the production cycle.
Cluster Manager, Taletha Laudat, says the outreach is necessary because “the agro-processing subsector constitutes an important thrust for development particularly in small island developing states like ours; and therefore, agro-processors plays a critical role in revamping any industry.”
“As such, she states, “current information is required to inform the cocoa cluster and related stakeholder agencies of the value-addition prospects in the cocoa agro-processing business.”
Information from this digital survey will be used for planning and evaluation by export agencies such as DEXIA, production agencies such as the Ministry of Agriculture, and supporting agencies to include CCPF and other partners.
In 2019, DEXIA successfully applied for and received a grant of US$200,000.00 from the Compete Caribbean Partnership Facility (CCPF) towards the development of Dominica’s cocoa sector. Dominica is known for its Fine Flavoured cocoa and the cluster was created to revitalize the industry for improved competitiveness, performance, growth and employment. Ultimately the cluster will serve to encourage and ensure the consistent output of quality cocoa at various stages. The Cocoa Cluster Development Project has 5 improvement areas: Data Management, Pre and Post-Harvest, Change Management, Marketing and Labelling and Product Transformation and Development.
Upon this background, the survey seeks to harness information from agro-processors participating in cocoa value addition through the collection of reliable and up-to-date information on the scope of the cocoa agro-processing industry in Dominica. Fundamental to the high quality of value-added products, is a clear understanding of the processor needs and wants. Information from processors is therefore critical to the success of this initiative.
Industry partners also include Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Dominica Manufacturers Association (DMA) and the United Nations Development Programme/ Global Environment Facility-Small Grants Programme (UNDP/GEF-SGP).
Interested persons can fill out the form by visiting https://dominica.gov.dm/ and clicking on Cocoa Agro-Processor Survey .
You can also click this hyperlink to access the survey: Agro-Processor Survey
Admin where is my comment?
ADMIN: Which one? See our comment policy for guidelines on what comments we post: https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/policies/#comment-policy
The link is inaccurate. correct link = http://www.dominica.gov.dm/notices
Also all fields are mandatory so i had to put N/A
ADMIN: Thank you for pointing that out we noticed that from the original press release and had a direct link placed to the survey. We have also just added the link you provided above.
All you good at is getting grants from overseas agencies but we never see the benefit of that. Where did that money go. Government should never be be involved in running private enterprise. What happened to the coffee plantend abbatoir. See what I mean.
Its about time. AGRICULTURE and manufacturing MUST work together. The Ministry of agriculture needs to play its part to its fullest. It cannot only be about exporting raw produce and fish and thinking you are doing great. Agro processors are forced to import most of their raw materials. From coconut oil for soap manufacturers, to pepper mash for pepper sauce producers to cocoa beans for cocoa and chocolate producers. Why? because either there is a inconsistent supply, inconsistent quality, inconsistent prices.
Value added is the way to go. ALLLLL over metropolitan areas in the bigger countries like the US and UK there are agro products from other caribbean countries. Bello used to be big. For both the farmers and the country. Now, we have to imports most of our raw materials.
Admin: Please ask DEXIA to check the link given at the end of the announcement. I have tried it a number of times but get the message “This site can’t be reached”.
ADMIN: If the direct link is not working then use the link to the main site and then scroll down to find the survey.
We have just tested the link; it works but may take some time to load or time-out depending on your connection.
Agro processing of cocoa? Are they talking about the people who make cocoa sticks? Gabriel Christian issued a news release about his chocolate venture. But I never heard or seen anything about it after the news release.
What agro-processing ventures are there in DA? Perhaps someone could educated us.
Zandoli, you must be a diasporian as you do not know:
Despite the effects of Covid19 and the fall in tourism, Pointe Baptiste Chocolate Factory at Calibishie quietly goes ahead producing its high quality chocolate bars with many flavours. Buys cocoa pods from farmers in the north and dries and prepares its own beans. Employs processing staff who also guide visitors around the little factory in its botanic garden. All without fanfare and boasting and pompous news releases a la Gabriel Christian and the well funded agricultural bureaucrats who show no results. It simply gets on with the job!