Organic Cocoa Production – Farming, Cultivation, Plantation
Introduction to Organic Cocoa Production
Cocoa is a small tree from the Malvaceae family. The Cocoa tree is also called Theobroma cacao, and Cacao tree.The Cocoa fruit has a similar shape to stunted cucumber, and is 8 to 10 cm thick, around 25 cm long, and weighs 300 to 400 g, even though they vary substantially between varieties. In Cocoa farming, it is critical to have robust, healthy trees by maintaining the best balance of sunlight, air, water, shade, and nutrients. This will help prevent diseases, particularly in the absence of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, which are not part of organic farming systems. In this article we also discuss the below topics;
How do you dry and ferment Cocoa beans
What is the ideal Cocoa growing temperature
Importance of Cocoa fermentation
How long does it take for Cocoa to grow
How Cocoa is cultivated
What type of soil does Cocoa grow
A Step By Step Guide to Organic Cocoa Production
Cocoa grows well on a wide range of soils but loses soils that allow movement of air and moisture, and root penetration is ideal. It must hold moisture in the soil during the dry season, as Cocoa needs a regular supply of moisture for good growth. Cocoa can be grown in soils having a pH value range from 4.0 and 7.5; it succeeds better in neutral soil.
Guide to Organic Cocoa Production.
Certified organic agriculture is the production by agreed-upon standards for organic agricultural practices. These standards include an annual inspection process, and those certify that the organic crop has been produced and handled with no prohibited substances (synthetic paraquat and pyrethroids) or synthetic chemicals. The organic crop must also have been grown on land to avoid the application of these substances for a minimum of 3 years. Each organic agricultural operation must use an “organic plan” agreed upon by both the certifier and the grower. It must detail all parts of the agricultural production of the certified crop. This mainly includes soil management, pest controls, post-harvest techniques, crop rotation, biological inputs, storage, handling, and document tracking.
Advantages of Organic Cocoa Production
Fewer inputs – reduced costs – Organic production practically eliminates the use of costly external inputs such as plant protection substances and fertilizers. By not using these, farmers can significantly decrease their operating costs. External inputs (that are generally bought from big agrochemical companies that pay little to the local economy) are substituted with local inputs. For example, expensive hybrid seeds are replaced with locally kept seeds (for example when intercropping Cocoa with papaya trees) and chemical fertilizers are replaced with compost. This decreases costs and increases farmers’ sovereignty by making them less dependent on big companies and money.
Higher prices for organic Cocoa – Those Cocoa beans are produced organically also command a higher price in the international marketplace compared to conventional ones. So, the reduced input costs and the improved prize per ton of organic beans leads to a higher farm income, overall.
Environmental and health benefits – Organic Cocoa production is more naturally sustainable than conventional production. This is attained through avoidance of pollution and healthier production methods such as agroforestry. Also, by avoiding hazardous chemicals such as insecticides and pesticides, the health of Cocoa farmers is protected.
Increasing the sovereignty of farmers and their income. And organic production encourages intercropping of the Cocoa plantation with numerous other useful crops such as shade trees, bananas, pineapples, oil palms, and jackfruit. Each of these provides the farmers with additional income and food sources, further helping farmers to become independent of having to buy food and improving their farm income.
Environmental advantages would include increased diversity of animals and plants, soil conservation, utilization of local and renewable resources, decreased soil and groundwater pollution, and can contribute towards specific habitat conservation. There is an increase in demand for organic products because of the consumer perception that organic products are of high health and nutritional value, somewhat due to the restrictions on the use of pesticides and fertilizers, which decreases the likelihood of any harmful residues. The existence of this niche market delivers a means through which producers can be compensated for internalizing external costs that would have been borne by society.
Lower production strength in organic farming can help in restraining surpluses due to lower yields per unit area and reduced areas of intensive farming. Organic farming offers opportunities for the diversification of farms and has the ability to contribute to rural development.
Organic Soil Preparation for Cocoa Production
The soil on Cocoa plantations must be well-drained, deep, and have sufficient water absorbent capacity. The pH-value of soil should be between 4.0 and 7.5, whereby care must be taken that sufficient organic material is available. Cocoa can be grown in coconut and areca nut gardens as a mixed crop. It can also be planted in forest lands by the inning and regulating the shade suitably.
Cocoa is a crop of humid tropics needing well-distributed rainfall. At least 90 to 100mm rainfall per month with annual precipitation of 1500 to 2000mm is ideal. Though, it can also be grown in other regions by supplementing rainfall with irrigation in dry periods. Though, for successful cultivation, the dry months must not exceed 3 to 4 months. Cocoa tolerates a minimum temperature of 15°C and a maximum of 40°C, but a temperature around 25°C is considered as best. Cocoa can be grown in place from sea level up to an elevation.
The soils best suited for Cocoa are mixtures of silt, sand, and clay. Very clayey and very sandy soils are not suitable for Cocoa farming, best soil textures are loamy and sandy (loamy) clayey soils. In the latter soils, the finer particles are frequently aggregated with organic matter or Fe-oxides to form particles about the size of coarse sand. These soils own both desirable characteristics of aeration associated with coarse sand and good drainage, and large moisture capacity associated with clay soils. Organic matter content is thus a significant factor, next to the clay content. Clayey soils are likely to have greater quantities of nutrients as they have a greater ability to hold them
In this system, soil fertility is seen as important to successful production. Working with the natural properties of animals, plants, and the landscape, organic farmers aim to enhance quality in all aspects of the environment and agriculture. Organic agriculture significantly decreases external inputs by avoiding the use of pesticides, chemo-synthetic fertilizers, and pharmaceuticals. In its place, it works with nature to increase both disease resistance and agricultural yields.
Planting Time for Organic Cocoa Production
It can be planted either at the end of the monsoon (September) in high rainfall areas or at the beginning of the Southwest monsoon (May-June) in low rainfall areas.
Propagation of Cocoa Trees
Propagation of Cocoa Trees
Cocoa can be propagated from vegetatively or seeds. Seed pods may be collected from trees yielding 80 or more pods per year with pod weight 350 to 400g. Before sowing Cocoa seeds, seeds are rubbed with wood ash or dry sand to remove the mucilage. The beans are planted either in plastic bags (25 x 15cm size) or raised beds, with their pointed end upwards. If you are trying to sow in beds, young seedlings are generally transplanted into polythene bags after around 2 weeks of germination. The seedlings are ready for transplantation to the field after they attain a height of 30 cm or around 3 to 4 months.
Cocoa can be also propagated vegetatively through softwood grafting, cuttings, and forkert method of budding, etc., but there are limits at present for implementing vegetative propagation on a commercial scale.
General Considerations of Organic Cocoa Production
Soil nutrient management is serious to the general health of the tree, mainly where Cocoa is grown on poor soils with short nutrient levels. The fertility of soils under Cocoa plantations with whole canopy formation can be maintained or sustained for a fairly long time due to the ability of Cocoa to recycle nutrients back into the soil. Though, nonstop harvesting will eventually result in the loss of soil nutrients.
Proper care must be taken of the plantation. This is done through proper pruning of shade and Cocoa trees and maintaining Phyto-hygiene to control diseases and pests.
