Chocolate culture to fulfil a farmer’s dream
15-Aug-2007

WHEN the Swedish pop band ABBA came out with the song ‘I have a dream’, little did they know that some years later their fellow countrymen will open up a new dream for a group of farmers in the cocoa or Cacao growing community of Namau in Tailevu.

For Tevita Niuvou and his group, the trip to Namau by eight Swedes was a blessing and an experience that the cocoa growers will be forever grateful with.

Niuvou is one of the fourteen farmers in Namau, who have stuck to cocoa through its ups and downs over the years.

What started as a major government project, the cocoa industry slowly grew in status from the 1960’s and by the late 1970’s was fully fledging with local cocoa beans making an impact on the export market.

Former Government minister Lagisoa Delana said cocoa beans like other produces during the colonial era were exported to London for processing and very little was known at the time of its potential.

Delana who also served as a civil servant for a long time said the cocoa industry was seriously affected when the Black Pod disease spread around the country and the price of beans dropped over the years.

The current price stands at $1.70 per kilogramme of first grade beans he said.

But cocoa, according to Delana has never been seriously considered as a premium product in the country and processing of cocoa beans was always done offshore.

Tailevu was one of the major cocoa producing provinces in the country with other two being Macuata and Cakaudrove also renowned for its vast cocoa plantations.

But to date Tailevu has the largest and most probably the only growers association in the country, the Tailevu Cocoa Growers Association.

Niuvou who has vast experience with the crop is the chairman and also runs an orchard that was planted by his father and uncles.

Ironically the story of how the Swedes came to be in Namau was a strange one that started with the emblem on the national flag and a Swede who came for a holiday.

Fabian Rimfors of Sweden had planned a visit to Fiji last year with his friend Malin Jansson and his first impression of the Fiji flag drew his eyes to the lion holding the cocoa pod on the emblem.

The emblem on the flag depicts the hopes of Fijian prosperity; sugar, a coconut tree, a bunch of bananas, a white dove of peace and last but not least a heraldic lion clasping a cocoa pod.

But cocoa carries special memories for Fabian and Malin because of their links with Cocoa Bello a non government organisation that looks after the welfare of cocoa processors in Sweden and has links with cocoa producers around the world.

Their fascination with Fiji cocoa took them around the province of Tailevu and Namau was earmarked as the next place of visit with eight members of Cocoa Bello.

Cocoa Bello is a non-profit, non-political and non-religious organisation, with the purpose of developing and executing development projects within the agricultural sector in developing countries.

Sweden based, the work of Cocoa Bello is characterised by close cooperation with national and international institutions and organisations within the sector referred to.
By creating a foundation of members, constituted by experienced and competent personnel, the organisation will develop and carry out qualitative projects on a non-profit basis.
Cocoa Bello aims at integrating the principles of sustainable development with competitive production.
Developing and executing projects with holistic perspectives, the ambition is to contribute to regional development and international understanding and communication.

A fundamental principle for the organisation’s efforts is that all projects after completion must be independent of the organisation and conducted independently.

Fabian who is the Chairman of the organisation said there was a modest production of cocoa in Fiji and with great untapped potential.

“The potentials are constituted by the fact that the varieties of cacao cultivated here are regarded as the most exclusive ones, as well as the fact that only a certain amount of the cultivated cacao is harvested.”

Cocoa Bello engages in the exchange project COCOA - from farming to retailing between Fiji and Sweden.

He added that the project although an undertaking of Cocoa Bello, was fully supported in their home country by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency [SIDA] and Ungdomsstyrelsen (the National Board for Youth Affairs).

“The purpose is to create a greater understanding of the need for a sustainable cacao cultivation and fair trade within the cocoa industry,” Fabian said.

The exchange will consist of delegations visiting each country respectively, where selected representatives from the cocoa industry in Sweden visit local cocoa farmers and marketing stages in Fiji, and the Fiji delegation later in Sweden.

But the recent visit by Fabian and his colleagues was a success as far as the training and the reception of the farmers is concerned.

“The main purpose of this project is to help local small scale holdings to establishing a sustainable development plan for production and retailing with first class chocolate products,” said Fabian.

Farmers were engaged in the fermentation of cocoa beans, drying and roasting before the final grinding of the beans into a paste.

“When it is in paste form other ingredients are then added to give it flavour and to also give a texture that will be the trademark of each chocolate variety,” Fabian said.

More than ten varieties of chocolates and chocolate drinks were sampled at Namau during the training and all were of superior quality.

Niuvou said this new found knowledge would bring them a loot of good and the farmers were looking forward to the trip to Sweden as part of the exchange trip between them and Cocoa Bello.

The exchange is expected to generate a greater understanding of the need for sustainable agriculture and fair trade.

“By creating a platform of meetings between local producers in Fiji and representatives from the growing Swedish chocolate market we hope to contribute to increase consumer possibilities when it comes to supporting local development in Fiji through quality conscious purchases.”

What was once a neglected crop is now on the verge of a massive recovery and in a way can hit overdrive to become a major crop in Fiji.

“I was a bit overwhelmed at the lack of knowledge about cocoa and when I asked a farmer whether they regularly indulge in chocolate drinks, the answer was bewildering,” Fabian said.

The farmers who cultivate cocoa do not utilise their produce to a greater extent despite the fact that they regularly purchase refined cocoa products from the shops, Fabian explained.

“For Fiji the knowledge among farmers on how to refine and process beans has been lost and is hardly presented anywhere in the islands at all, says Fabian.

“The processing of Fijian cocoa beans takes place in remote distances mainly in countries of imports,” he adds.

To develop and re-establish the know how of how to process and refine cocoa beans among the Fijian cocoa farmers would contribute not only to diminish expenditures by not buying imported chocolate, but above all it would contribute to the production of an organic and more wholesome high quality chocolate.

According to Delana the product could, with advantage, be sold locally to the considerable amount of tourists who visit the country each year.

By re establishing a chocolate culture, and in that way contributing to boosting ecotourism, Fiji could set a good example when it comes to sustainable deployment of available resources.

For Niuvou and his fellow cocoa farmers in the country, this turn around could be the very answer to the very dreams that their fathers and uncles had when they planted the wonder crop that has long evaded its full potential.

JOE ULUILAKEBA (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forests)