JACRA’S call to revive the cocoa sector

JAMAICA HAS captured the world’s attention with its ability to produce distinctively unique flavoured foods that takes its consumer on a sensational experience in every bite or sip, and Jamaica’s ‘Fine or Flavoured’ cocoa is one very important inclusion among our nation’s offerings to the world.

This precious commodity, as with many of the nation’s crops, is plagued with many challenges affecting its producers and this has resulted in steady decline over the years. The cocoa sector, which saw its highest productive period in the 1980s, producing over 2,000 metric tonnes, is now only producing on average of just over 200 metric tonnes for the past 10 years.

The cocoa sector is challenged with an ageing farming population, low farm gate prices, pest and disease, increased cost for production and diminishing returns on its productivity due to aged trees which are way past their productive period. The cocoa plant has an economically viable life span of 30 years, yet the sector’s last massive replanting exercise was done over 60 years ago. These factors, coupled with little advancement in local value addition, have created the perfect recipe for debility.

It is with this background that the Jamaica Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (JACRA) has to act to create a sustainable cocoa industry that will address the industry’s environmental resilience, economic viability and positive impact on social well-being of its primary producers. JACRA has embarked on a full value-chain analysis of the cocoa industry aimed at identifying the challenges and opportunities that exists along the chain. In doing so, the organisation is poised to better monitor, regulate and facilitate the development of the cocoa industry’s stakeholder’s ability to achieve their full potential.