The Latest News from TCGA

General Roles and Responsibility

The store manager will facilitate the purchasing of wet and fermented & dried cacao beans according to TCGA payment system, implement TCGA’s traceability and lot numbering system, as well as liaise with the extension officers to deliver TCGA’s service...

All media are invited to the signing and inauguration of the Toledo Cacao Growers’ Association  [TCGA] Grant Contract in support of their Action entitled Mayan House of Cacao and Chocolate Museum on Tuesday 27th September at 10 :00 am  in Punta Gorda Town, Toledo District, Belize. The signing and inauguration will take place in the Sport Complex Auditorium.

 

The TCGA Action is estimated to cost EURO 500,000 or BZ$ 1,250,000, with the EU contributing EURO 400,000 or BZ$ 1,000,000, 80% of the total cost of the Action.

In 1991 Green & Black’s launched organic dark chocolate made with cacao grown in Togo, West Africa. The chocolate was a high quality product, the first 70% cocoa solids organic product to be sold in the UK. It was a success at the very top end of the chocolate market. In 1993, we needed an alternative source of cacao and started a new project in Belize that embodied organic and fair trade principles.

There had been a cacoa planting project in Belize since 1983 run first by the Overseas Development Agency (ODA) and from 1986 by USAID in co-operation with the food giant Hershey’s. These schemes were funded by bank loans secured against the collateral of Indian Reservation land. Farmers were encourage to buy hybrid seeds and agri-chemicals, clear forests and plant trees close together. This left little room for shade trees and fertilisers and fungicides became essential. The economics of the programme were carefully worked out, but were based on a selling price of US$1.80 per lb. The programme finished in 1992...

In today's world economy, where profits rule and small-scale farmers are left out of the bargaining process, prices are allowed to fluctuate rapidly and can fall so low that small-scale farmers are left without the resources or hope to continue. Fortunately, Fair Trade allows farmers to escape from this cycle and maintain their traditional lifestyles with dignity. Fair Trade ensures a minimum price of $.80/pound under long-term contracts, access to credit, and prohibits abusive child labor and forced labor. Fair Trade farmers are required to reserve a portion of their revenues for social projects, ensuring that community development and technical training for farmers will always be possible. Fair Trade also promotes environmentally sustainable practices such as shade cultivation, composting, and minimization of chemical inputs, ensuring that farmers use cultivation techniques that are safe for the environment and public health...