The Jamaica Cocoa Farmers Association (JCFA) has received training in how to dry cocoa beans using a solar-drying system. The association's farmers have also been given tips on growing good habits to help them maximise their yield.

According to JCFA treasurer Hugh Johnson, the United States Agency for International Develop-ment has injected well-needed funds to help with the installation of 50 solar-drying facilities islandwide as well as the implementation of the training programme.

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The Jamaica Cocoa Farmers’ Association (JCFA) has issued a statement asserting its legal right to representation on the Cocoa Industry Board; rights which it says its members have been denied.

Further, the lobby said it was concerned about the divestment of the Cocoa Board assets “from which process the JCFA has also been excluded”.

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American chocolate company Hershey has signed on as a buyer of Jamaican cocoa for production of high-end brand Scharffen Berger, made by subsidiary Artisan Confections Company, with the first shipment due by midyear.

The supply contract landed by Jamaica Cocoa Farmers' Association (JCFA), a group of private growers, is one of the first under a new push by the association and the broader sector to diversify their narrow market for the commodity, which is dominated by France and three other European countries.

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