MINFO
SUVA
Cocoa farmers and Ministry of Agriculture staff at the training.
In a bid to revive Fiji’s cocoa industry the Ministry of Agriculture conducted one day training for 50 cocoa farmers of Tailevu at the Korovou Agriculture Station last week.
The training was held under the cocoa rehabilitation programme for which the Ministry has allocated $300,000 for upgrading farmers’ skills in the cocoa growing areas of the country.
Senior agriculture officer Tailevu, Sanaila Turaga said the training taught farmers ways to revitalise the cocoa industry.
Mr Turaga said farmers were trained on how to manage their existing cocoa plantation which included pruning and cutting down other trees to allow shade and wind to blow into the cocoa area.
“Farmers were also told of the crop husbandry practices, the cutting of cocoa pods, the process of fermentation and drying, all in a bid to get the cocoa beans ready for the markets,” Mr Turaga said.
He added that the Ministry also invited one of the buyers Andrew Miller who showed farmers the quality of cocoa beans required for the markets.
As part of the training, the participants were also taken to areas where cocoa is being intercropped with other tree crops like banana.
“We do believe that if we train our farmers they will adapt the correct husbandry practices which will eventually enable them to improve the quality and supply to markets,” Mr Turaga said.
In 2013, about three tonnes of cocoa was produced from Tailevu and it is expected that the rehabilitation program will see an increase in production to six tonnes this year.
The Ministry of Agriculture is also planning to organize a Cocoa Field Day in September this year.
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