Veterinarian Officer Dr. Paul Crooks in the Division of Food Security served as the moderator for the consultation. He asked the cocoa farmers about the limitations in the cocoa industry and their views on the industry itself. Farmer Liv Ross shared his thoughts by stating that there is currently no cocoa industry on the island.
The Secretary of the Tobago Cocoa Farmers Cooperative Limited, Lila Danarine, stated that the entire industry requires assistance.Crooks asked the attendees what changes they would like to see within the next year concerning the cocoa industry. Ross stated that a focus should be placed on addressing pests, particularly parrots.
Based on past experiences, Ross had these suggestions for controlling the parrot population on cocoa estates. Ross said that he also hung VCR tapes and CDs in the cocoa trees to ward the parrots off, however it did not work for long. During the consultation, the issue of pests was the most salient point with farmers expressing that need for this issue to be dealt with. Danarine also contributed by mentioning that finding labourers is another issue causing challenges in the industry.
