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Friday, July 26, 2013THE Jamaica Cocoa Farmers Association is to begin infield training of cocoa farmers and the rehabilitation of farms as it continues the resuscitation of the industry.A total of 100 farmers in the constituencies of West Central St Mary, West Portland, Western St Thomas, North Clarendon, North West Clarendon and North Central Clarendon will be singled out for early training and subsequent rehabilitation of the cocoa fields. The training programme will help the farmers develop best practices in their cocoa fields.The St Mary aspect of the programme has been backed by members of Parliament Dr Maurice Guy and Winston Green, who have each put up $300,000 from their Constituency Development Fund to benefit the 20 farmers from their respective constituencies.Guy represent Central St Mary, while Green is the MP for South East St Mary.The farmers will be receiving training on the land to increase yields and thereby bringing added prosperity to their communities.“It is expected that each new acre brought into production will yield almost 70 boxes of cocoa beans which at prevailing prices could result in earnings of over US$230,000 ($23,000,000) from the 100 acres,” the association said in a release.Meanwhile, other infield seminars will be held by association in parishes where cocoa is produced in an effort to revive the industry, which has seen much better days but a rebirth is now taking place as the association moves to rebuild the sector and upgrade the farmers and the farming practices.However, there is a call for other MPs to support the programme.“In other areas where cocoa is widely grown it is expected that the MPs will come on board with funds to do training and rehabilitation of the cocoa fields which have been in a state of decline,” the association said.“The MPs in other parts of St Mary, Portland, St Thomas and Clarendon are being urged by the cocoa farmers in their constituencies to use part of their CDF to help boost cocoa production. This action, the farmers, say would bring sustainable benefits and help to improve life in these communities,” it added.
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100 cocoa farmers to get infield training
