Cocoa prices have been falling on the international market, but Jamaican growers expect a turnaround and are positioning internally to ride the upswing.
The private group of growers, Jamaica Cocoa Farmers' Association (JCFA), believe this year they can emerge as serious rivals to the state-run board, which functions both as a regulator and marketer of cocoa.
It is recorded that Sir Hans Sloane was introduced to cocoa as a drink in Jamaica during his stay in the 1680's. He apparently found it 'nauseous' but mixing it with milk made it more palatable.
He took this chocolate recipe to England on his return where it was manufactured and at first sold by apothecaries as a medicine. Much later, Cadburys manufactured chocolate using Sloane's recipe.
Source: Prof. Robert J. Lancashire, University of the West Indies.
Johnsons Organic Fertilizer Company, the manufacturers of the FAO award winning Rescue Organic Fertilizer.
ACDI/VOCA - Improving production and marketing of selected specialty crops, mainly cocoa.
USAID, through the Marketing and Agriculture for Jamaican Improved Competitiveness (MAJIC) project, is pioneering the expanded utilization of the Farmer Field School (FFS)...
Competition Heats Up In Cocoa Market