SUNDAY 4 MARCH, 2018 – UWI TODAY
7
ECONOMY
Pathmanathan Umaharan is a professor of genetics and Director of the Cocoa Research Centre at The UWI St. Augustine Campus.
The Caribbean cocoa sector
is internationally known for the production
of fine/flavour cocoa, and Trinidad and Tobago in particular, has a global
reputation for its quality.This offers us a comparative advantage to leverage
this sector in diversifying the economies of the region. The fine/flavour
sector accounts for 5-6% of world cocoa production at present, but it is
rapidly growing and morphing into a segmented niche and ultra-niche
boutique sector, dominant in the metropolises of the world.
The boutiques operating in the sector are small, highly innovative,
dynamic and attuned to the needs and wants of their customers. Whilst this
artisanal chocolate market segment offers much higher prices (often 4-6
x premium) for cocoa beans and is a lucrative opportunity for the small-
holder cocoa farming sector in the Caribbean, this requires the sector to
become equally innovative in farming, processing, quality management,
branding, certification, traceability and developing marketing linkages.
In addition, it is believed that the Caribbean region receives 13million
tourists annually, but the value-added cocoa sector in the Caribbean region
is not yet developed to capitalise on the opportunities afforded by this
high-value market on our doorsteps.
Neither the small-holder cocoa farming sector nor the weak value-
added sector is equipped to access these opportunities without support to
become innovative and dynamic to meet the high standards and specific
demands of the artisanal chocolate sector.
The International Fine Cocoa Innovation Centre (IFCIC) was
established as a development/outreach armof the Cocoa ResearchCentre of
The UWI to support the modernisation of the cocoa farming sector, while
supporting the emergence of valued-added cluster/business sector and an
attractive cocoa-based tourism sector that can harness values along the
entire cocoa value chain using the best science, technology and innovation.
Initial support for the IFCIC came from the EU/ACP Science and
Technology Fund. Under the PSIP, the Government of the Republic of
Trinidad and Tobago has also allocated a sum of $6.2 million to support
the infrastructure development to make this a reality.
The IFCIC is a developmental model established on the triple-helix
approach, involving close collaboration between the University, and
the private and public sector to bring alignment and focus to support
development.
Firstly it provides a physical demonstrative model to showcase best
practices; innovations and technologies along the cocoa value chain that
persons can see, study and emulate; and it supplies innovative technologies
and services to clients within the sector.
Secondly, it provides technology tool-kits and services to support
the modernisation of the industry.
Thirdly, it offers apprenticeship training/internships and short-term
training to disseminate the model.
Under and IDB-MIF [the Multilateral Investment Fund is a member
of the IDB Group] project a number of new technologies developed as
part of the IFCIC are being tested in 40 farms to developed more nuanced
approaches to support the business development of individual farmers
through more tailored support and necessary coaching to convert the
farms into successful businesses.
The nerve centre of the IFCIC will be housed at the University Field
Station at Valsayn and will consist of (a) a model 10-acre cocoa farm
capable of producing in excess of 3000 kg of dry cocoa beans per ha, a far
cry from the present production levels of 150 kg per ha; (b) a modern cocoa
processing facility that will showcase innovations in fermentation, drying
and storage of beans to convert the cocoa beans to elicit the unique flavour
potential in a consistent manner; (c) a chocolate factory that will allow the
cocoa beans of farmers to be processed into intermediary products, cocoa
liquor, couverture, cocoa nibs, cocoa butter; (d) technology incubators that
can help entrepreneurs develop a range of products including chocolates
and confectionaries, (e) cocoa-based beverages and cuisines, cocoa
nutraceutical products and cocoa cosmetics; (f) a business incubator to
support entrepreneurship and marketing support and a cocoa museum
and cocoa restaurant to support cocoa based agro-tourism at the Centre
and elsewhere in T&T.
The IFCIC will work with the Cocoa Development Company of
Trinidad and Tobago Ltd and the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and
Fisheries to extend these technologies to the entire sector so that these
innovations and novel technologies will have a snowballing effect on
development. It will also work to develop policies and projects that will
overcome constraints faced by farmers, processors and value-added outfits,
including labour, access roads and markets.
It is our hope that the IFCIC will transform the present traditional
cocoa sector into a modern farming sector with an energised business
cluster around it so that it can extract the full value of the cocoa chain.
The Centre will also offer technology services, training and
consultancies along the entire value chain for the local and regional
cocoa sectors thus contributing to its sustainability as an institution. The
IFCIC is organically linked to the Cocoa Research Centre of The UWI as
the formal outreach arm of the CRC but features important investments
and partnerships involving the private sector and the Government. The
organic linkage to a knowledge centre such as The UWI is critical to allow
the IFCIC to be continuously creative in problem-solving, adapting to the
changingmarket environment and developing new technologies to improve
efficiency to ensure that the sector remains in the forefront. The model
approach taken with the IFCIC is also capable of creating knowledge-based
and innovation-centric spinoffs that are competitive in the global space
and valuable employment opportunities, fostering growth of the fine/
flavour cocoa sector though attracting investment, developing successful,
business models and disseminating them to acelerate development. We
hope that the IFCIC will become a model for the development of other
sectors in the Caribbean.
A BASKET FOR BEANS
The Case for the International Fine Cocoa Innovation Centre
B Y P A T H M A N A T H A N U M A H A R A N
Here is what the IFCIC will feature:
A model 10-acre cocoa farm
capable of
producing in excess of 3000 kg of dry cocoa
beans per ha.
A modern cocoa processing facility
that will
showcase innovations in fermentation, drying
and storage of beans to convert the cocoa
beans to elicit the unique flavour potential in a
consistent manner.
A chocolate factory
that will allow the
cocoa beans of farmers to be processed
into intermediary products, cocoa liquor,
couverture, cocoa nibs, cocoa butter.
Technology incubators
that can help
entrepreneurs develop a range of products
including chocolates and confectionaries.
Cocoa-based beverages and cuisines
, cocoa
nutraceutical products and cocoa cosmetics.
A business incubator
to support
entrepreneurship and marketing support
and a cocoa museum and cocoa restaurant
to support cocoa based agro-tourism at the
Centre and elsewhere in T&T.
