OLD FOLKS COCOA FARMERS LIFTED FIRST HARVEST (COCOA BEANS) TO BETTER MARKET

Old_Folks_Cocoa_Lift

VADEMCO rehabilitated old cocoa farms early this year (2020) own by Old folks in Bong and Lofa counties after the farms were unproductive for 10-15 years. The Old Folks’ lifted their first cocoa harvest for the market on October 2, 2020. VADEMCO links Old folks cocoa beans commodity to better local cocoa exporting market.

VADEMCO rehabilitated old cocoa farms early this year (2020) own by Old folks in Bong and Lofa counties after the farms were unproductive for 10-15 years. The Old Folks’ lifted their first cocoa harvest for the market on October 2, 2020. VADEMCO links Old folks cocoa beans commodity to better local cocoa exporting market.

VADEMCO serves as an aggregator of the Old folks’ commodity. As a result, VADEMCO obtained a legal status from the Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA); the government of Liberia regulatory body for exporting commodities. The license was given to mainly serve these Old folks who have been exploited over the years by illegal and non-trained cocoa buyers in the cocoa producing communities in Liberia.

A proud cocoa farmer with his solar dryer

VADEMCO provides other farm management services, and post-harvest services including harvesting, hauling harvested pods to the center fermentation station, breaking pods, fermenting, drying (Solar Dryer), and paying better farm-gate price to the Old folks.  This program, which is co-financed by Solidaridad West Africa, Liberia, and funded by the European Union has brought not only smiles to the Old folks but help meet their basic needs such as food, medication and assist paying their grandchildren school fees, etc. It has brought dignity and respect to the Old folks in their communities.

Over the years, these Old folks cocoa farmers have been exploited by non-trained and illegal cocoa buyers in the cocoa producing communities in Liberia, and not only exploiting these farmers, but tarnishing the Liberian cocoa quality (no fermentation, not properly drying, etc) in the markets when the government of Liberia and its development partners have been striving to improve the cocoa sector to enhance  the Liberia  cocoa quality  for the world markets. In order to achieve this national objective of producing Liberia’s quality cocoa, it is prudent that LACRA weeds out these non-trained and illegal cocoa buyers from the cocoa producing communities in Liberia.

Cocoa beans stacked in a warehouse

VADEMCO is willing to collaborate and partnership with LACRA to weed out these illegal and non-trained cocoa buyers and help provide training for them who wants to make cocoa buying as a business.

We STRIVE and VOW to improve Liberian cocoa quality and reputation for the world markets.

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