ST. GEORGE’S GRENADA– As the Ministry of Agriculture & Lands, Fisheries and Cooperatives continues to encourage increased production of traditional crops, it has identified one plot at Government’s Estate in Grand Bras, as a demonstration site for farmers interested in learning more about producing cocoa.
“ Five acres will be rehabilitated so that farmers can come to see how a cocoa farm should be set up; they can see the different agronomic practices being implemented,” explained Lauren St. Louis, Senior Agriculture Officer.
St. Louis was speaking during a training course for extension officers, agronomists, and workers from various Government Estates and Stations, including Mt. Rich, Ashenden, and Boulogne, held Monday, 31st October 2022, at Grand Bras Estate.
The training was a joint venture between the Ministry and the Grenada Cocoa Association, which took on a learn-by-doing approach, as the participants shared their knowledge and best practices with each other.
The Cocoa Industry has made several marked improvements in its economic indicators over the past year, including production levels of 27%, sales of raw cocoa beans which grew by 17%, and sales of chocolate and other value-added products. Manager of the Estate at Grand Bras, Evan Bhola, said the decision to increase cocoa production’s capacity was good.
According to Bhola, “This is an opportunity to shape the future of Agriculture, which is the mainstay of this present administration. We will ensure that Grand Bras Estate will be the epicenter of this transformation; we want farmers to adopt this place as part of their farms – they learn here and practice on their farms.”
He added, “This will help us to ensure that there is also continuous employment for people in the community. Many children go to school, and their parents come here to work, so this helps us to build significant relationships with people, communities, and society.
Andrew Hastick, Manager of the Grenada Cocoa Association, spoke of the Association’s commitment towards the project and said this could be vital to Grenada’s Economy.
“Cocoa still is a very important part of Grenada’s economy; this is something we can show off – we are educating officers, who will then educate farmers,” Hastick stated.
Cocoa is one of the traditional crops that has enhanced the lives of many farming families and has been used widely in the agro-processing industry. The Ministry hopes that this will be the stepping stone to increase the capacity of farmers and officers, who can use the demonstration plot to improve production and quality.
This Cocoa Demonstration Plot initiative is one of the programmes geared at improving food security, building resilience, and enhancing the lives of farming families by putting more money into the pockets of farmers.
Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Fisheries and Cooperatives… ensuring food and nutrition security for all
