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A site visit was conducted on Thursday 23 May 2024 at Wooton Crop Research Station with regards to the ongoing project titled ‘MRIC/SISM-BG-29: Building capacity to determine optimal post-harvest and processing practices for the production of quality cocoa beans and fine flavoured cocoa derived products in Mauritius’. This project was awarded an MRIC grant of Rs 595,700 under the Innovation Boost Grant which was launched to cater for priority areas identified in the National Roadmap for Research and Innovation 2023-2027 which emanated from Les Assises de la Recherche et de l’Innovation 2022. The project is led by Mrs Yogeeta Luchoomun, Research Scientist/ Senior Research Scientist at the Fruit Division of FAREI. The project is monitored by the Blue and Green Innovation team of the MRIC.

 

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The Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation, Mr Darsanand Balgobin, the Deputy Permanent Secretary, Mr Ramesh Bheekhoo, the Chairman of the MRIC, Dr Kaviraj Sukon, the Executive Director of the MRIC, Professor Theesan Bahorun and other personalities participated in the site visit at FAREI, Wooton on 23 May 2024.

 

The project intends to support cocoa production, its post-harvest practices and processing in Mauritius in order to promote the production of high quality fine flavoured cocoa products for a premium market. In this context, FAREI intends to determine the optimum post-harvest practices which include the fermentation and drying processes of different local accessions, using quality monitoring tools. Hence, a study is being carried out to assess the effect of different fermentation and sun drying durations on cocoa beans of these accessions. The best post-harvest practices for achieving superior bean quality will be thus identified. The project is carried out with the collaboration of local cocoa producers.

 

Local cocoa production is currently undertaken by a few small–scale farmers under low input system and derived products are mainly for a high end niche market.  With the government of Mauritius policy to promote of adoption of agroforestry on abandoned and underutilized lands to enhance agricultural productivity, there is high potential to invest in cocoa production along with other tree crops.

 

In Mauritius, production includes a few old varieties described to have interesting genetics and good flavour. Among harvest, post-harvest and processing practices which determine cocoa quality, proper fermentation and drying are reported to be essential to bringing out the best of the cocoa beans’ intrinsic quality.

 

A good knowledge of the steps taken after harvest, fermentation and drying are crucial to the production of higher quality cocoa-derived products with greater market appeal. In light of the above, there is need to invest in research to investigate on the effect of the duration of fermentation and drying periods on the quality of cocoa beans and its derived products and to identify the best accessions for propagation and dissemination among producers.

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By Dr P Veer Ramjeawon and Dr N Savoo-Calotte