Colombian cocoa challenge gets help from technology specialists
The Manufacturing Technology Centre is helping Colombian cocoa farmers to improve quality and productivity through a £1m project.
The aim is to improve the profitability of smallholder farmers and their families by ensuring they get a better deal from buyers, become more productive and produce better quality cocoa.
The two-year project is concentrated on the improvement of farm productivity, consistency of product, quality and post-harvest processes.
MTC technology manager Alejandra Matamoros said: “We want to ensure that the smallholder farmers get a better deal, which will improve the quality of life for them and their families, and will have a socio-economic effect on their region and the Colombian economy as a whole.
“We are not just interested in deploying technology – that would be easy. We want to make sure that our impact is positive and lasting.”
The team from the MTC is looking at the bean fermentation and drying processes which are vital to the quality of the bean. They are also working with the cocoa and chocolate supply chain to establish better quality assessment of the beans on the way to commercialisation.
The COLCO project is funded by the UK Newton Fund, which supports welfare and sustainable development through science and innovation among countries receiving official development assistance, and is channelled through Innovate UK.
