SUNDAY 6TH DECEMBER, 2015 – UWI TODAY
7
ECONOMY
The Cocoa Research Centre (CRC)
scored a major feat on
November 17 when representatives along the cocoa value
chain in Trinidad and Tobago, and a few from the region,
met under one roof for a good old-fashioned powwow.
The event occurred on November 17 at The University
Inn andConferenceCentre, not far fromCRC’s St. Augustine
Campus home, located in the Sir Frank Stockdale building.
Everyone agreed it was high time the people in cocoa
met and talked. But the people in cocoa were also resolute
that the time had passed for mere talk. There is, after all, an
industry to revive.
The Cocoa Research and Innovations Workshop
brought together researchers, cocoa farmers, cocoa
entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs, chocolatiers,
technocrats, and even politicians under the theme “From
Lab to Farm to Product.”Major sponsors included the Dutch
Embassy and Atlantic LNG.
Professor Pathmanathan Umaharan, Director of the
CRC, whose institutional knowledge of the local cocoa
industry is unsurpassed, identified where Trinidad and
Tobago currently finds itself, compared to the glory days
of 1921. Back then, this country produced 35,000 metric
tonnes of cocoa, making it the fourth largest producer of
cocoa in the world. Today we produced 500-600 metric
tonnes.
What happened? Witch’s broom.
“Witch’s broom had a devastating influence on
production,” Umaharan, a professor in genetics, explained.
This plant disease or deformity changes the natural structure
of the plant causing a dense mass of shoots to grow out from
a single point.The resemblance to a witch’s broom is believed
to account for the name.”
The fact that The UWI, through the Cocoa Research
Centre, is championing the revival of cocoa in Trinidad
and Tobago isn’t news, sinceThe UWI has, arguably, always
been there for cocoa.
It was the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture,
the forerunner to The University of the West Indies, which
formed part of the early architects of T&T’s comeback in
cocoa. In1930, theCollege established a researchprogramme
determined to reverse the crop’s misfortunes on the island.
Researchers were sent to Columbia, Bolivia, Ecuador, and
Peru to collect wild varieties of cocoa germplasm. Upon
their return, these researchers transplanted these varieties
in the Marpar Farms in Sangre Grande.
“It was felt that if the tree survived that condition,
it should have resistance,” Professor Umaharan said.
Thankfully, there were survivors, and these were crossed to
develop varieties for resistance and good yield and planted
in farms across Trinidad and Tobago. Those interventions
have resulted in this country now being recognised by
Biodiversity International as having the largest and most
diverse collection of cocoa anywhere in the world. Centeno
is home to an International Cocoa Genebank which has
2,400 varieties of cocoa collected from all over the world
on a 100-acre piece of land.
Deputy Principal, Professor Rhoda Reddock,
representing The UWI St. Augustine Campus Principal,
Professor Clement Sankat, paid tribute to the Trinitario
cocoa – globally regarded as the basis for the burgeoning
fine cocoa industry.
“Based on this, Trinidad has enjoyed a global reputation
for the quality of cocoa it produces that fetches as much as
three times premium in the global market over bulk cocoa,”
Professor Reddock said in her welcome remarks.
During themini-workshops, participants were enriched
with testimonials and information from an impressive line-
up of panellists and moderators.
In the session titled “QualityMatters,” Kampta Persaud
owner of the 750-acre San Juan Cocoa Estate in Gran
Minister of Agriculture, Clarence Rambharat, with Deputy Campus Principal, Professor Rhoda Reddock at the launch of the Cocoa Research
and Innovations Workshop. The Minister encouraged long-term investment in the industry.
PHOTOS: ANEEL KARIM
COCOA
can still be
KING
B Y N A T A S H A C O K E R
Couva, Trinidad, underscored the importance of meeting
international quality standards.
“If we’re not going tomeet the standards, we’re not going
to be able to sell our cocoa at a good price. We may not be
able to sell our cocoa at all,” Persaud said.
It was a sentiment that Jude Lee Sam of the Montserrat
Cocoa Farmers’ Co-operative Society Limited (MCFCSL),
shared.
“The standards are there,” Lee Sam said. “The thing
is the commitment to do it and to do it all the time.” The
MCFCSL, a Trinidad and Tobago-based co-operative,
produces up to 40 metric tonnes of cocoa annually to a
clientele of exclusive chocolate makers around the world.
In the workshop entitled, “There’s More to Cocoa
than Chocolate,” participants heard the startup stories of
chocolatier and founder of Cocobel Chocolate, Isabel Brash;
the creator of Gina’s Truffles, Gina Hardy, and Founder
of Café Mariposa, Marcia Guerrero. Moderator of the
session, Managing Director of the Grenada-based Belmont
Estate, Shadel Compton, also shared her Agri-Tourism
business model which has won Trip Advisor Certificates
of Excellence.
There were also mini workshops on innovations in
disease management, raising yield potential, cadmium and
trade Implications, and branding and traceability.
So, is T&T’s cocoa and the chocolate really the best?
Participants assessed the assertion in live taste tests. Guess
what? We won!
