6
UWI TODAY
– SUNDAY 1st NOVEMBER, 2015
ECONOMY
Chocolate captures
the
hearts and imaginations of
peoples all over the world.
Its unique flavour, textural
characteristics and more
recently documented health
and nutritional benefits
combine and together make
the secret of its success.
Chocolate has the power to
gladden mortal hearts.
Chocolates made from
our fine or flavour cocoa beans
have earned us the enviable
reputation as an exclusive producer of high quality fine
or flavour cocoa beans. This reputation continues to be
recognised by the International Cocoa Organisation, as
Trinidad and Tobago is one of a handful of countries in
the world with this status, and by chocolate producers who
continue pay premium prices for our beans.
Trinidad and Tobago enjoys a healthy comparative
advantage in cocoa production with its unique combination
of rich cocoa history, suitable soils and climate, investment
in intellectual capital by having the longest continuous
cocoa breeding programme in the world, a one of a kind
universal collection of unique cocoa varieties, high demand
and premium prices.
A CASE
for
COCOA
B Y D A R I N S U K H A
Dr. Darin A. Sukha is a Research Fellow/Food Technologist at the Cocoa Research Centre, UWI St. Augustine.
It seems paradoxical then that cocoa production
in Trinidad and Tobago has fluctuated and declined
continuously since a production peak in 1921 of over
35,000 metric tonnes, to a low of approximately 600 metric
tonnes today. One of the main reasons for this can be traced
back to the 1850s where the direction of the Trinidad and
Tobago economy began to change away from an agrarian
based economy with the discovery of oil in Trinidad, and
the commercialization of the petroleum industry during the
early 20th century. In a classic case of Dutch Disease, the
Trinidad and Tobago economy continues to be energy based
and the country derives most of its revenues from the energy
sector. Real Gross Domestic Product and growth in GDP
continue to be closely linked to fortunes of the energy sector.
The latest Ryder Scott Report (2013) stated that there
was a 7% decline in proven natural gas reserves in 2013.
These findings serve as timely warnings that there is an
urgent need to diversify the Trinidad and Tobago economy
away from non-renewable hydrocarbons to other more
sustainable sources that canmake a significant contribution
to National GDP.
The Government of Trinidad and Tobago, has identified
cocoa as a strategic crop to be developed because of its global
potential and our comparative advantage as an exclusive
producer of fine or flavour cocoa beans.
The industry currently faces numerous challenges
and has been on the decline in the past few years. It has
become financially unattractive for farmers and several
have turned away from this industry as they are unable to
make a reasonable living from the sale of the cocoa beans.
The cocoa industry cannot develop sustainably with the
current production of between 400-600metric tonnes, so as
a first step we need to increase cocoa production urgently.
We need to reorganise the industry to be more efficient
and we need to explore value added opportunities once the
production has been increased above a certain acceptable
level to ensure this sub sector can be sustainably exploited.
Our cheaper energy costs compared to other countries
for chocolate making offer an immediate comparative
advantage that should be tapped.
The industry currently faces
numerous challenges and has
been on the decline in the past few
years. It has become financially
unattractive for farmers and
several have turned away from this
industry as they are
unable to make
a reasonable
living from
the sale of the
cocoa beans.
Marcia Guerrero
of Café Mariposa
puts the final
touches on a cake
at the Mariposa
Enterprises
booth at the
World Cocoa and
Chocolate Day.
Students from the University School are riveted as Kadine David, of the CRC explains the cocoa process.
PHOTOS: ALVA VIARRUEL
The chocolate muffin-eating competition was full of takers, and naturally, their classmates cheered them on! The winner of Round One was
Kifah Hernandez of Blanchisseuse High School and the Round Two winner was UWI student Savita Ramoutarsingh.
