INMATES OF the Richmond Farm Adult Correctional Centre, in St. Mary, are to be utilised in the planting and reaping of cocoa beans under a project soon to be implemented by the Cocoa Industry Board (CIB).
Naburn Nelson, Secretary/ Manager of the CIB, said the use of the inmates will offset the high costs inherent in the cultivation of the produce. He says that 30 inmates are being trained in the techniques of planting cocoa. At the end of the training exercise, successful persons will be provided with certificates indicating their participation and they will be employed by the St. Mary Cocoa Farmers to work on estates at competitive rates.
Income earned will go into a savings account and, on leaving the penal institution, the inmates will receive a sum, which can help them to resume their normal lives.
Mr. Nelson says the inmates will work under the supervision of the Department of Correctional Services, while the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) will be responsible for co-ordinating the effort.
The utilisation of inmates in the planting of cocoa is part of a number of strategies being implemented by the CIB in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture to revitalise the industry, which has been suffering the effects of flood rains and high production costs.
Initiatives put in place so far, include the launch of the Cocoa Flood Relief Assistance Project in Esher, St. Mary, by Agriculture Minister, Roger Clarke, in March of last year. Under the project, farmers in the parish were provided with inputs valued at $1.3 million and fertilisers, rat bait and cocoa seedlings free of cost. A total of 284 hectares (710 acres) of land were rehabilitated during the first phase of this project.
The CIB also helped farmers to offset production costs and encourage increased cocoa bean production by supplying them with planting materials at highly subsidised rates; paying trucking expenses incurred in the collection of cocoa beans and providing fertilisers at ex-factory prices through arrangements with suppliers.
In addition, some 4,000 cocoa farmers in the parishes of St. Thomas, Portland and St. Mary, are to benefit from 2,800 hectares (7,0000 acres) of land and associated resources to rehabilitate and expand their farms, while 100 hectares (250 acres) of land in St. Mary will be dedicated to growing cocoa beans. Farmers who have large hectares of land will be encouraged to either expand cocoa production or get involved in the industry. This scheme will be expanded to other parishes, as well.
Mr. Nelson says that these measures have been spearheaded by the Ministry, in recognition of the need to revitalise the industry in the shortest possible time.
In fact, Mr. Nelson points out, short-term revival is possible because there are sufficient mature trees on cocoa farms islandwide, which can assist in a short term turnaround of the sector. "Our surveys show that there are enough matured trees from which production can be increased in a six-month period following rehabilitation," he says.
"The figure is very favourable when compared to the three-year period it takes for a young tree to start bearing," he continues.
He said that, as part of the Board's industry revival strategies, fact-finding tours will be conducted of the parishes that have the highest level of cocoa production islandwide.
Mr. Nelson indicates that the first tour took place in late January, when Minister Clarke and State Minister, Errol Ennis, toured cocoa bearing farms in St. Mary. "This tour provided the opportunity for the Ministers to meet with cocoa farmers. They got a first-hand view of the state of the cocoa fields, while hearing directly from farmers about their concerns and suggestions on revitalising the industry," he said.
In addition to St. Mary, Mr. Nelson says that during the course of the year, tours will be conducted of all other major cocoa producing regions of the island, to include the parishes of St. Thomas, Portland and Clarendon.
Findings from these visits, Mr. Nelson indicates, will inform the CIB's preparation of a project document that will detail the strategies to be employed in rehabilitating the industry. The document will then be submitted to Cabinet, so that funding to aid in the rehabilitation process can be accessed.
Mr. Nelson said that cocoa is a significant export crop, with approximately 22,000 small farmers growing the produce commercially on about 12,000 hectares (30,000 acres) of land islandwide. Demand currently stands at about 2,500 tonnes, of which only about 30 per cent is satisfied. Approximately 90 per cent of the beans produced annually are exported to Europe, Japan and the United States.
Mr. Nelson said that a variety of factors have contributed to the decline in cocoa bean production, including unfavourable weather conditions, high cost of credit, high cost of inputs such as labour and fertilisers and poor access roads to farmers.
