General Manager of Dominica Export Import Agency (DEXIA), Gregoire Thomas, has said the company is seeking ways to redevelop the cocoa industry in order to improve economic livelihoods in Dominica.
Thomas spoke at the launch of a 3-part video series highlighting best practices of cocoa production developed by Dominica Cocoa Cluster Development project which was held at DEXIA’s conference room on the Bayfront in Roseau.
“DEXIA as the facilitator, we have been able to coordinate with all those various players to achieve a common objective which is the redevelopment of the cocoa sector and to look at ways and means that we can improve the economic livelihoods,” he said. “We have seen what happened to other crops, especially our tree crops, citrus and all the challenges that we had with citrus, even mangoes and fruit plies, but I believe that cocoa presents an opportunity to us.”
According to Thomas, under the project, DEXIA has been able to focus on certain areas of improvement.
“The volumes that we are looking at are the acreages,” he stated. “We are looking under the project to establish 200 acres of cocoa and we are doing that in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, they have a major part to play with regards to the propagation of some of the planting material.”
Thomas added, “They also have as part of their programme, a rehabilitation programme.”
He explained that DEXIA is at a stage right now where the small amounts of cocoa that are produced locally are insufficient to satisfy the needs of their clients.
“So it means that we need to intensify our efforts locally,” Thomas remarked.
Posted below is the first episode of a documentary entitled, Cocoa: A New Journey which illustrates best practice of sustainable cocoa production in Dominica. As an award-winning destination for fine flavoured cocoa, the Cocoa Cluster Project collaborated with GIZ to provide support for field rehabilitation across the island. Aspects of the rehabilitation work is detailed including propagation, crop establishment
Man, We not growing cane for sugar or produce flour for baking. Dexia have to import that for us and they not good with a simple job like that. How can we trust them to develop a cocoa business . You know how many years it take for a plant to produce beans. Sounds like another coffee bean scheme.
I does give all you fire, so I will give all you all you flowers to.
This is great, finally we see this government investing in a version of the economy that will benefit the local man. CBI goes straight into top level pockets, tired of hearing about that… we need more of this. We need more agriculture based economic initiatives since that is what Dominica can naturally produce.
Keep on talking…
I just that its amazing that they have only realized this 3 YEARS AFTER MARIA. The day after Maria i said if we do not begin planting as a nation to ensure food produstion on a better scale we will have missed the bus. Coconuts, citrus, cocoa should have been replanted by the acre. All the coconuts that fell on crown land, they should have been been replanted. Today we are importing coconut oil and coconut producers are still out of business. citrus availability is not like before. coco beans has to be imported for coco producers. We are always reactionary here, never ever procative. Hats off to DEXIA for finally realizing this needed to be done. We cannot rely on imports alone. We need to start producing to export. That is what the government hasnt gotten yet. Cannot only be passport that selling. We need to develop infrastructure to support agro processing and manufacturing. production and testing facilities, better port and shipping procedures, proper linkage with the min of agricul
Morning Greg’s, my brother!
The saying goes, better late than never, so I wish you and the people of Dominica, especially those involved in Agriculture, success in this undertaking.
I must add, though, and I am sure you will agree with me, that DEXIA, to put it mildly, has failed in its mandate.
It’s also noteworthy that you seem to have the “ear” of the Agriculture minister. Please bro, try your best to make him see that the island will not develop to its fullest potential without AGRICULTURE playing the LEADING role. We missed the opportunity to establish a coconut nursery after the two most recent natural disasters, which, if it had been done, would have our trees starting to bear at this stage.
You are an expert of the highest calibre, let them know that when tree planting, plant fruit trees also: we will be killing two birds with one stone!!
And I am not going to mention the MARIJUANA industry. Don’t, let “nephew” Gregson judge you harshly when you are no more, I beg…
DNO there is something very incomplete about this story. Mr. Gregoire said there was insufficient supply to meet demand. What is the supply? What is the demand? Is the market domestic/regional?
The government asked farmers to plant plantains and the whole island ad plantains rotting on the ground. They built a coffee processing plant. How much coffee are we processing today
i hope there is going to be something in place to deal with the parrots which constantly destroy our cocoa pods
Well, the parrots where there before us and we still managed to grow cocoa and plenty of coffee. These two crops can grow together in the same areas.