Cocoajamaica.com

Presidents Message

Dear Farmers,

The Jamaica cocoa Farmers’ Association was formed to provide all cocoa farmers and stakeholders with a forum to facilitate communication and to foster a spirit of cooperation. We as farmers and stakeholders are charged with a great responsibility to preserve and grow an industry that has seen better days.

 

It is my hope that with this humble but bright beginning the Association will help restore prosperity to the Cocoa Industry. We know the task at hand may prove difficult but with our unity of purpose, I am confident we will realize our true potential.

About Us

The JCFA was formed in May 2008 as a non-profit farmers’ organization to pursue a farmer-centered approach towards the sustainable development of the cocoa sector in Jamaica. As part of this effort, the JCFA has developed a plan to empower cocoa communities to participate in a deregulated cocoa industry. 


Read more..

2015 letter from the JCFA President

Dear Cocoa Farmers

I wish for you and your family a prosperous 2015.

Let me first of all thank you for your continued support during 2014 and hope that we will continue to work together this year and beyond to help you produce more of the best cocoa for the world market. 2014 was a difficult year not just for cocoa farmers but for the entire country but we are strong and we know how to grow and get better even in tough times.

Read more...

Technical Approach

cocoa smallThe post-harvest processing framework to be established by the Association is engaging in fermentation and solar drying at the community level. This will dramatically reduce the cost associated with processing the beans as well as ensuring the quality of the finished product.

.

The quality improvement is obtained by the collection of pods instead of wet beans and breaking of the pods only at the start of the fermentation process.

This cost savings from this new post-harvest processing will directly translate into farmers receiving a higher farm-gate price than now currently obtained.
For the industry to be revived there has to be specific actions taken to address shortcomings.
The JCFA is advocating:

  1. Strategies to address disincentives to cocoa production, primarily prices received per wet box for cocoa, extension services, financing, availability of input supplies and tools.
  2. Cocoa farmers should be trained in best practices through a series of field workshops using lead farmers plots.
  3. Rehabilitating existing cocoa fields
  4. Improve yields systematically across farm sizes.
  5. Facilitate farmers desire to expand cocoa acreages, while at the same time pursuing the rehabilitation of existing fields.

The activities being proposed would directly benefit approximately 1,000 individuals who are primarily small farmers with access to 8 acres or less of land. Specific benefits to the farmers and farming communities would include a 100% or greater increase in their current income from cocoa, job creation in rural communities, increase in knowledge and skill levels of farmers and farm employees, greater cohesiveness within farming communities, increased use of solar drying and decreased use of fossil fuels to process cocoa. In other words JCFA is advocating and espousing environmentally friendly techniques.

You are here: Uncategorised Technical Approach
Contact the JCFA today to see how we can assist you with your cocoa project! Contact Us Today!

Project funded by

usaid logo small