The Compete Caribbean Partnership Facility has provided $200,000 to the cocoa industry following a proposal submitted by the Dominica Export and Import Agency (DEXIA). The fund is for the Cocoa Cluster Development Programme and is aimed at boosting cocoa cultivation and production in the country.
The Compete Caribbean Partnership Facility is a private sector development project that provides stimulation for economic growth, increased productivity, better innovation, and competitive inclusions. The programme was set up to facilitate the cocoa industry’s contribution to sustainable livelihood, job creation, rural economy, and food security.
To this end, the Cocoa Cluster Project enables farmers to cultivate high-quality cocoa beans and market them after due packaging among other things. Project Coordinator Annie Bertrand said DEXIA’s project was one of the seven in 10 projects selected. DEXIA competed for the selection through due process and emerged one of the seven in 10 Business Support Organizations (BSO) selected in the OECS.
“Dominica has a very competitive advantage just because of the beans that we can grow here and the climate and genetic quality of the beans places it at an advantage,” Bertrand said. “There was promise of putting into projection, 300 acres of land and also planting materials would be provided as well as the input required to make sure it was successful.”
DEXIA General Manager Gregoire Thomas said the selection would push the cocoa industry forward on the island and would make the sector one of the most competitive in the OECS.
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