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By Kuini Waqasavou Ministry of Primary Industries Cocoa has never been seriously considered as a premium product in the country and the processing of cocoa beans was always done off-shore. But thanks to the hard work and efforts of Namau villagers in Tailevu, cocoa is fast becoming a developing crop and will certainly rise to greater heights in the not too distant future. For 47-year-old Tevita Niuvou and his group called the Niuvou brothers, the journey ahead for their cocoa farm will be a challenging one but with their minds set on achieving results, anything is possible.
Niuvou is one of the 14 farmers in Namau who have stuck to cocoa through all odds over the years and they can finally breathe a sigh of relief now as their sweat will finally pay off. “We are just grateful that we are now working with the Ministry of Primary Industries in getting things on the road and we believe that with continued co-operation, we will achieve results together,” he smiled. After a successful training last year on producing chocolate from their cocoa beans, Tevita is aiming for many things but says that it will all come when the time is right. The village of Namau was trained by two cocoa experts from Cocoa Bello from Sweden which is a non-profit and non-political organisation aimed at developing the agricultural sectors in developing countries. “The representatives stressed to us that the varieties of cocoa cultivated here are regarded as the most exclusive ones and that is why we are putting in all our efforts to keep it that way,” smiled Tevita. During the training, farmers were engaged in the fermentation of cocoa beans, drying and roasting before the final grinding of the beans into a paste. “When the beans are in paste form, other ingredients are then added to give it flavor and to also give texture that will be the trademark of each chocolate variety,” said Tevita. Tevita said that they were taught on many other finer aspects of cocoa production and the response from the whole village has been overwhelming. “Cocoa Bello will be setting up an exchange program whereby farmers here in Namau will travel to Sweden and it is expected to generate a greater understanding of the need for sustainable agriculture and fair trade. This platform of meetings between local producers in Fiji and representatives from the growing Swedish chocolate market will contribute to increased consumer possibilities when it comes to supporting local developments in the country. The father of four children said that their rehabilitation program is a five year program and the main area of concentration is trying to revive their cocoa fields. “There is no need to rush into everything at once, for at the moment we are concentrating on rehabilitating our current cocoa trees and doing a lot of cleaning and pruning to the trees,” said Tevita. During a tree count in 1987, 12,800 trees were accounted for and according to Tevita; they would have to do a recount to determine on exactly the number of trees on the ground. To establish the finer process of refining cocoa beans among the farmers would contribute to a lot of things and one of them would be the production of an organic and more wholesome high quality chocolate. According to Niuvou the product could with a lot of advantages be sold locally to the tourists that flock to our shores each year. “By re-establishing a chocolate culture and in away contributing to eco-tourism, Fiji could set a good example when it comes to sustainable exploitation of available resources,” explained Niuvou. With the opening of niche markets for cocoa, the Ministry of Primary Industries has set its sight on training more farmers on cocoa production. Director of Extension Services, Mr Fiuwaki Waqalala said that in this new era of technology, farmers have to move away from the traditional methods of planting. “I want all the farmers to understand that we have to move along with the tides of change and in order for us to achieve more from the farm, we have to invest more into the farm and that is why we have to think technology and use farm machineries to properly carry out the work,” Mr Waqalala explained. “There are endless opportunities that have not been tapped and I believe that given all that the farmers have learnt, they will be able to increase their knowledge and interest in cocoa farming at a larger scale,” he added. “Cocoa is a cash crop of high potential value and there is consistent world demand for the next two to three decades,” he explained. “Pacific cocoa produces less than three per cent of the world cocoa but the strength lies in the fine flavor of it which is about nine per cent.” “Papua New Guinea produces more cocoa than Fiji but like all other cocoa producing countries is constantly threatened with pests and diseases,” explained Mr Waqalala. “This will help the farmers to understand the problem and solve it so that production of the cocoa tree is not hindered in any way.” Currently the Ministry has programmes for cocoa which are not classified as major ones since the market was not well defined when the program had started. Mr Waqalala added that the Agricultural Marketing Authority of Fiji have identified certain markets which they will capitalize on. “Tailevu Cocoa Growers Association has the largest and most probably the only cocoa growers association in the country and that is why we are using them as a model to develop the commodity to industry level,” added Mr Waqalala. What was once a neglected crop is now on the verge of a massive recovery and in a way can develop faster to becoming a major crop in the country. “I guess the onus is now on us and other cocoa producing regions in the country to produce more and keep on working hard to achieve results,” smiled Tevita. ENDS |
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