With the prices of cocoa reaching maximum historical levels in the world – going from $3,000 to almost $13,000 dollars per ton between 2023 and 2024 – the Special Fund for Agricultural Development (FEDA) advances with the National Plan for the Transformation and Renewal of Dominican Cocoa Culture, encouraging the production of this key sector for the country’s economy.
As part of this plan, the FEDA reported this Thursday the 9th that it inaugurated a nursery of more than 1,000 square meters in Hato Mayor, with the capacity to produce 120,000 seedlings of cocoa per year. This nursery will benefit the cocoa farmers of the province, organized in the Block of the national confederation of cocoa farmers Dominicans (Conacado), who were severely affected by Hurricane Fiona in 2022.
In a press release, the economist Efraín Galván, director of the FEDArecalled that the cocoa It is a strategic crop and a symbol of national identity, with great environmental and economic benefits. Dominican Republic is the world’s largest producer of cocoa organic.
He also highlighted that it is widely distributed in the regions and has extremely positive externalities for the environment. He stressed that the production agroecological of the cocoa It is one of the reasons why the country still has water.
Galván also highlighted that the Dominican Republic is the main world producer of cocoa organic and the 9th producer of cocoa globally, so rising prices will translate into greater profits for our customers. farmers.
Also, according to Galván, the Feda has worked tirelessly to ensure that the production of cocoa take advantage of the good international moment through the donation of millions of seedlings, the construction of 9 nurseries, the installation of 3 collection centers, a support plan for the chocolate factory, the donation of 10 thousand agricultural tools and the realization of almost 200 training events in all cocoa-growing areas.
Bernardo Jiménez, Manager of the Conacado Block in this region, highlighted the work of FEDAcataloging the institution as the main support of the cocoaculture from the east of the country, while thanking the institution for its support in the most difficult moments after Fionna passed away in 2022.
Jiménez explained that only in Hato Mayor and Seybo the FEDA donated more than 500 thousand seedlings of cocoa to which 5 production nurseries and a collection center in Seybo. This additional infrastructure of nursery is conditioned to produce that the plants of cocoa are high-yield with an average of 75 pounds for each piece of land planted
On the other hand, the institution builds three collection centers to improve, maintain and market the production of the cocoa with the aim of industrializing a good quality product.
He cocoaAfter sugar cane and livestock, it has been the source of livelihood for many families in the Hato Mayor province, which is why the FEDA bets on the relaunch of that sector.
