The National Cocoa Awards Competition held its fourth Recognition and Prize Giving Ceremony for local cocoa farmers on Wednesday.
This competition serves as the entry point for Trinidad and Tobago’s participation in the International Cacao of Excellence (CoEX) Competition, which is held every two years and is the most prestigious global competition recognising the work of cocoa farmers around the world.
During the Award Ceremony on Wednesday, Chief Operations Officer and Corporate Secretary at the Cocoa Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited, Mala Partap, noted that this competition serves as the entry point for local farmers who wish to represent T&T in the CoEx Competition.
“Overall, Trinidad and Tobago has won a total of fourteen awards, making us the most awarded cocoa-producing nation in the history of Cacao of Excellence competition. This is certainly an achievement to be proud of, and a title we want undefeated.”
Chair of the CoEX Technical Committee, Dr. Daren Sukha, explained that the competition focuses on unlocking the true potential of cocoa. He said it goes beyond flavour and takes into account the livelihoods of farmers, resilient value chains, and its overall long-term sustainability.
“Recognition is important, but it must go hand in hand with real opportunity. For this programme to truly make a difference, we must ensure that this recognition translates into viable markets, partnerships and a better future for our farmers and cocoa value chain stakeholders. This is something that we need to continually work on achieving.”
Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, Avinash Singh, said this is one of those special events where persons are allowed to pause and recognise the hard work, dedication, and incredible talents that exist within our local cocoa industry.
He noted that over the last few years, there has been growing interest in our cocoa both locally and abroad.
“Local demand for high quality beans has actually tripled in recent years and our small-scale chocolatiers and value-added producers are doing amazing things. We have seen bean-to-bar operations flourish, new cocoa-based products coming to market and a real sense of pride building around what we produce.”
At the last Cacao of Excellence Awards in 2023, three Trinidadians, Doolarie Ramdath, Shankar Teelucksingh and Stephanie Omardeen, were awarded Silver for the Central America and the Caribbean region.