Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Avinash Singh is advising cocoa farmers to sell their beans to local chocolatiers rather than leave them wasting in the fields.
He did so in response to claims by vice president of the National Cocoa Allied Farmers Association Oscar Cadet that farmers are having difficulties to accessing international markets for their cocoa.
Cadet blamed the situation on the dismantling of the Cocoa and Coffee Industry Board. He said the replacement body—the Cocoa Development Company—has not been helping farmers find international buyers.
Singh said local chocolatiers are in need of fine flavoured cocoa beans.
“I went to a cocoa fair recently and I was speaking to local chocolatiers and they said are they getting a cocoa supply but still need more beans. They all said they buy local beans and pay a better price but they can’t get enough beans,” he said.
He said farmers who cannot get access to international buyers can contact the local chocolatiers.
“This will remove some of the beans off the hands of the farmers,” Singh said.
He said the Agriculture Ministry is talking with Cadet and other cocoa farmers.
Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat admitted that the Cocoa Development Company is yet to be operationalised and staffed.
“They occupied the office which was previously occupied in Chaguanas but never hired professional staff. The new board is working on a short term basis with some of the people who have some involvement in the Cocoa and Coffee Board. The board is preparing to advertise and address the farmers,” Rambharat said.
The minister challenged Cadet’s claims that more 4,000 workers were laid off because of the dismantling of a functioning cocoa board. In a radio interview earlier this week, he said he was not too sure where Cadet got his statistics and denied that there are 1,700 cocoa farmers across T&T.
However, under the People’s Partnership government 1,700 cocoa farmers benefitted from a retroactive payment through the Cocoa and Coffee Industry Board between October 1, 2013 to January 31, 2014 after cocoa prices went up.
Rambharat said he has been meeting with chairman of the Cocoa Development Company Winston Rudder.
“We have been holding discussions and we plan to talk to the buying agents and farmers and talk about their mandate and how they plan to approach the market,” the minister said.