THE HAITIAN COCOA MARKET CHAIN :: RESULTS

Identification of stakeholders

MarChE supports small cocoa producers in Dame Marie (Grand-Anse), a major cocoa producing area.

MarChE coordinates with the DEED project, which has similar activities in the North.

Linkages have been established with an exporter (Geo Wiener) with annual exports of 18,000 bags and a local coop (CAUD) with 535 members.

A PPA is being implemented conjointly with (CAUD) and Geo Wiener to help increase cocoa yield by at least 20% and improve quality through the application of a series of agricultural and post-harvest techniques.

Technical assistance

A series of training of trainer (TOT) sessions were conducted by a world renowned cocoa production expert for 26 participants who learned transferable skills in:

• pruning and shade adjustment,
• side and bud grafting,
• nursery management,
• bean quality,
• bud wood selection for side and bud grafting,
• super tree identification,
• rat control and
• farmer based chocolate production.

Eighteen of those participants were selected to train farmers applying the Farming Field School (FFS) methodology, which has been successfully applied in other major cocoa producing countries of LAC and Africa.

The FFS program started in Dame Marie in September and 725 farmers received the first training session.

Over the next 6 months a total of 1,800 farmers will completed the training modules.

MarChE’s coordination structure, established under the PPA, will assess the adoption of those techniques by the growers and their effective application.

In particular, 2 field supervisors and a master trainer supervisor are included in that coordination structure so that activities are continuously monitored and corrective actions undertaken as needed.

The FFS program will instruct at least 1800 growers on production and post-harvest techniques.

This should result in about 20 % increase of cocoa production for this harvest season and based on experience in other countries the production should double one year later.

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@2009 MarChE