Thursday, February 9, 2012

Phase 1: Introduction to Cacao Farming - Part 1

Here are my notes on some of the things I have learned so far about cacao farming and the cocoa industry based on my time with the CocoaPhil team, farmers, and agriculturalists (part 1):

The Cocoa Value Chain / The Cocoa Supply Chain

Small Holder Farmer
  • Nursery - Seedings
·         Plantation and Maintenance
·         Harvest
·         Post Harvest
o   Fermentation
o   Drying
Trader
Grinder
Industry
  • Confectionary Industry
  • Food Industry
  • Industrial, Artisanal, Pharma & Tobacco consumers
Retailer
Consumer

Cacao Farming

  • Small holder farms are family operated – 1 to 3 hectares.
  • Seedlings require 80-90% shade. Medium sized trees only require 50% shade.
  • Coconut trees provide permanent shade cover. Banana trees provide temporary shade cover.
  • Cacao trees are best interplanted alongside coconut trees and banana trees.
  • Seedlings take 18-24 months to flower. It takes about 6 months for flowers to reach pod maturity.
  • Primary pollinator is the mitges – little moths.
  • Pollination times are 5am – 7am and 7pm – 8pm.
  • Smoking on the farm can affect the mitges and hinder pollination.
  • Pods should be harvested at 75-80% ripeness. Pods that are too ripe are likely to have beans that are germinated.
  • 18-25 pods = 1 kilogram of wet beans
  • 3 kg of wet beans = 1 kg of dry beans
  • 50 kg needed to ferment
  • 1 metric ton = 1,000 kilograms
  • 1 cacao tree produces 2 kg of dry beans per year
  • Best soil conditions is loam soil – porous
  • Best temperature is 18 degrees Celsius
  • Best pH is 4.5 – 6.5
  • 1 hectare = 1,100 cacao trees open with 3 meters apart (good only if 18 degrees Celsius and no summer – rainy season year round. otherwise, needs shade cover)
  • 1 hectare = 750 cacao trees interplanted with other crops (coconut & banana)
  • 1 hectare of 750 cacao trees will produce (2 kg/yr) 1,500 kg of dry beans per year
  • 1 hectare = 50,000 pesos in expenses (25,000 pesos for seedlings, 25,000 pesos for labor)
  • Labor can include fertilizing, clearing, holing, staking, weeding, etc.
  • CocoaPhil membership is 1,000 pesos per year.
  • Farmers also pay land tax and business license annually.

No comments:

Post a Comment