Chocolate research fellow, Ed Seguine (left) of Pennsylvania, United States, briefs cocoa farmers on total quality along the cocoa value chain. With him are: (from left) Sekou Phipps of D & K Farms, St Mary; Hyacinth Sinclair of Scott's Hall, St Mary; and Andrew Nam of Morgan's Pass, Clarendon. - Photos by Noel Thompson

WESTERN BUREAU:

At age 27, Sekou Phipps portrays the image of a young Casanova sporting a pair of earrings and living a happy-go-lucky party life.

But in an unexpected U-turn, Sekou is viewing life differently than most of his peers would even consider - sacrificing all his party ways for full-time farming.

"I have put my party lifestyle on hold. I have woken up and come to my senses," said Phipps, who, along with more than 80 farmers from across the island, recently attended a three-day cocoa technical forum in Kingston and St Mary.

The event was spearheaded by the United States Agency for International Development, through its Protected Areas and Rural Enterprise (USAID/PARE) Project, working with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Cocoa Industry Board. The forum was held to support one of the strategic actions emerging from a November 2008 cocoa stockholders' workshop, which defined the need for information-sharing workshops to re-engage farmers and build the knowledge-base for cocoa farming.

Time to grow up

Wearing brand-name clothing, jewellery and sunglasses perched atop his head, Phipps justifies his decision: "Given the current economic state, I realise it is time for me to grow up. The global crisis tells me it is the right time to work for myself. I am more fortunate than others who might not have family to assist them."

Sekou is the nephew of noted attorney-at-law Frank Phipps, QC, and is part of the family which owns D & K Farms in Oracabessa, St Mary. They currently cultivate 80-90 acres of cocoa and they are planning to expand this to 100 acres to maximise their cocoa intake and exports.

Training very beneficial

Sekou Phipps believes that he has benefited immensely from the three-day training, which has armed him with some critical knowledge and tips to venture further into the cocoa business.

Said Phipps: "I have learned a lot about proper cocoa management and care. The information we have acquired and the content delivery has made it so easily understandable. It is now up to us to capitalise on what we have learned."

Hyacinth Sinclair represented the Pembroke Cocoa Group in Clarendon. "The training was very informative. We learnt so much that I can share with my colleagues. The ministry and the facilitators have given us a great opportunity," she said.

The forum saw presentations from local and overseas sector specialists in areas such as farm management, maintaining quality in the processing and expanding appreciation of the final product - chocolate.

Costa Rican-based agro-forestry and cocoa specialist Dr Eduardo Somarriba inspects a cocoa bud on a farm in Orange River, St Mary.

Desmond Jadesingh, a St Mary cocoa farmer, uses a powersaw to cut sections of a cocoa tree on a farm in Orange River to allow sufficient sunlight for better growth.

Cocoa specialist Uriel Buitrago, of Ecuador, uses a machete to chop cocoa branches, after a tree is pruned on a farm in Orange River, St Mary.