The price of bulk cocoa on the world market has soared to nearly US$11,000 per metric ton.
But despite Jamaica's reputation for producing some of the best fine cocoa in the world, the country is not benefitting from the global boom.
Cocoa production in Jamaica is currently at an all-time low of just 300 metric tons, down from 3,000 tons in the 1980s.
Coffee farmer and immediate past president of the Small Business Association of Jamaica, Michael Lecky, attributes the sharp decline in production to the frosty pod rot disease and a lack of government attention to the industry.
He says members of the cocoa industry have now turned to an expert from the University of the West Indies for help in combating the disease, citing frustration over the government's inaction.
comments powered by Disqus
_logo.png){kind=logo}
All feeds
