Entry: Bill Guyton and Robert Peck, World Cocoa Foundation

When most people think of cocoa in Latin America, countries such as Ecuador, Dominican Republic, and Brazil come to mind. Several other countries in the region, however, are also demonstrating their desire to increase production and to promote and market cocoa in the region where it first originated.

Over the past few days, Robert and I have visited Peru and Colombia. Although Robert travels here frequently, it has been over two years since my last visit. There are some very positive developments and challenges that we wanted to share with you.

PERU CROP SIZE AND OUTLOOK
This year, cocoa production in Peru has been handicapped by the negative weather effects of El Niño. Nevertheless, over 60,000 hectares are now under cultivation and the prospects for next year's crop look more promising.

PERU COCOA FARMING AND CHALLENGES
Similar to West Africa, cocoa farming is grown on small farms with typically less than 10 acres in size. Cocoa is grown in association with other tree crops and food crops, providing a good income for people living in rural areas. Frosty pod rot (monilia), a fungal disease, is a common problem which can destroy up to 40 percent of the crop if not treated or contained.

COCOA PROGRAMS IN PERU
We were impressed by the on-going efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture, development agencies, and private initiatives to help develop the cocoa value chain in Peru. In particular, we would like to recognize the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for playing an important role in these efforts. In many areas, cocoa can be an alternative to elicit crop production.

In previous years, the World Cocoa Foundation co-funded a regional coordination program with USAID and Organization of American States (OAS) called "ACCESO”. The ACCESO Program harmonized the training curriculum for farmers and exchanged best practices among cocoa projects.

Looking forward, we see great potential in Peru to increase cocoa productivity through new plantings and rehabilitation of existing trees. We wish to thank our member companies Romero Trading SA and Nacional de Chocolates-Peru for hosting us during our stay in Lima and providing their insights.

Our update on Colombia will follow.