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Fine cocoa industry Questions on project gets going in TT teen pregnancy P EDITORIAL
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n the wake of the cheating scandal in Bihar, India, an education official appealed to parents – and students – to assist the Education Ministry in stopping the activity. The situation in India brings to mind our own issue of teenage pregnancy in Guyana, said to be the second highest in the Caribbean, and the role both parents and teenagers – many of the latter students – must play in reducing its rates. As in India, Opposition members have laid the blame squarely at the door of the Education Ministry, seeming to ignore the role society, including parents and teenagers, must also play in reducing teen pregnancies. While Guyanese teens seem well educated about celebrity, movie and music culture through television and the internet, especially with its often highly sexualized content, many remain seemingly uninformed of sex and birth control education, though well aware of their own sexuality. Why, in the days of instant information via the internet or TV programmes, should a Guyanese teen’s information download relate mainly to these topics and not include sex education? How can Government and society effectively use these popular technologies to teach sexual responsibility among Guyanese teenagers? Despite the efforts of agencies such as the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA), programmes such as Health and Family Life (HFL), and free access to methods of birth control, teen pregnancy rates are still high. Is there a need for more education or education that is more effective, or is this a reflection of a lack of attention to these efforts among teens? The GRPA notes that many Guyanese adults display a lack of education about sex, so it should be little surprise that their offspring also lack awareness. Is it that Guyanese traditional society sees sex and birth control as taboo topics, and parents would rather “someone else” have these discussions with their children? It is bewildering that teen pregnancy often focuses on teenage girls; it takes the male and female to create a pregnancy yet it has become the burden of young girls to avoid teen pregnancy. Why aren’t teen boys also held responsible for teen pregnancy? Why are teen mothers often blamed for the pregnancy? There should be no chauvinistic approaches to tackling teen pregnancy. As teen years are those of increased sexual energies, to quote one politician: “sex happens” – in these times, ideas of abstinence and the morality of sex before marriage are considered archaic, even derisory. To blame a single Government agency for the increasing sexual activity and pregnancies among teenagers is short sighted at best. It requires both Government and society to arrest teen pregnancy. One puts policies in place to help prevent teen pregnancies and one encourages teens to follow the policies put in place. Alternatively, one encourages a responsible approach to sex while the other complements this with policies geared to make these responsibilities easier to attain and maintain. This brings to question the role of teenagers themselves in preventing teen pregnancies: how much do teens themselves adhere to the education and guidance they receive from these programmes and from their parents, if they do, regarding sex and birth control? We are encouraged to view teens as capable of a lot more than we give them credit for – indeed teens insist on their independence and ability to make their own decisions. But is the high incidence of teen pregnancy one result of their own decision making, or an illustration of the need for adult guidance (what teens often consider adult “interference”)? Blaming everything Government is not the approach needed to tackle teenage pregnancy in Guyana. A strong look at the role society plays in helping to make teenagers educated and aware of sex and their responsibilities if they wish to engage in sex is also necessary –several programmes, laws and policies are already in place, with plans and support for others to come. Sound Government policies, good parental/societal guidance, and an informed and willing youth population together are key to stopping teen pregnancies.
ORT-OF-SPAIN, TRINIDAD: The Cocoa Research Centre (CRC) at the University of the West Indies (UWI) has embarked on a three-year project which will transform the fine cocoa sector across the Caribbean region, ensuring the sustainability of Caribbean cocoa and pioneering a model for regional food crop security. Dubbed the International Fine Cocoa Innovation Centre (IFCIC), the project was conceptualised by the CRC and its partners, Newer Worlds, Caribbean Fine Cocoa Forum, Cocoa Industry Board of Jamaica and funded by a 2 million euro grant from the European Union under the ACP Science and Technology Programme II. The launch of the IFCIC was the highlight of a two-day conference hosted by the CRC on March 23-24. In a media release the UWI said more than 125 local and regional cocoa stakeholders attended the conference which took place the Ortinola Great House — a former cocoa estate in St Joseph, Trinidad. The event also attracted stakeholders from international chocolate companies and other organisations such as Casa Luker from Colombia, Mars Chocolate and Mondelez International from the US, and the Cocoa Research Association and Association of Chocolate, Biscuit and Confectionery Industries, both from Europe. Themed “Seeding Innovations along the Cocoa Value Chain”, day one featured presentations on the ongoing applied research that focuses on creating innovations in production, processing, manufacturing and marketing in the cocoa industry. On the second day, the agenda spotlighted the fine-flavour cocoa industry and the challenges and opportunities it faces. More importantly, however, on both days, the conference showcased how this new innovation centre could facilitate the development of the industry through science and innovation, and providing support in terms of apprenticeship training and provision of technology and business services, the release said. The cocoa industry is an almost US $100 billion dollar industry, poised to grow by an-
other 20 percent over the next decade. According to World Cocoa Foundation between 4050 million people depend on cocoa for their livelihood. While most of the cocoa in the global market is traded as “bulk cocoa”, there is a small but growing segment of the market referred to as “fine” or “flavour cocoa” which fetches a significant premium often three to four-fold of that of bulk cocoa. Many countries in the Caribbean are regarded as exclusive fine cocoa producers; which provides an opportunity to build a niche high value cocoa industry. The IFCIC is envisioned as a triple helix of university-industry-government relationships that could harness these comparative advantages as well as innovations to develop the Caribbean’s fine cocoa industry, the release said. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the conference, Ms Kathrin Renner, international co-operation officer of the Delegation of the European Union to Trinidad and Tobago said, “The Caribbean is held in high regard as a cocoa-producing region because most countries produce a fine or aromatic (as opposed to bulk) cocoa.” She added, “I think we would all agree that the Caribbean region holds great potential to be a major player in the international fine cocoa and chocolate trade and the work of the International Fine Cocoa Innovation Centre is bringing us closer to that reality. This is why the EU is happy to support it.” Also at the opening ceremony was associate director of the World Cocoa Foundation, Virginia Sopyla. She stated, “Innovative strategies, science and technology, farm management techniques, business models, and extension are all essential to the future of the cocoa sector. The International Fine Cocoa Innovation Centre will play an important role in this process, and there are other positive signs of a growing momentum in this direction.” Many aspects of the IFCIC are well underway; the conference and symposium for instance, was a key activity in building awareness of the project among the region’s stakeholders. It is the first of three
planned annual conferences and symposiums, aimed at articulating the vision of the IFCIC project and contributing towards steering the cocoa sector to realise its full potential, the release said. A physical multi-purpose fine cocoa innovation centre is set for completion in 2017. It will house a modern model pilot cocoa orchard, a fine chocolate and couverture factory, teaching theatres, incubators, a restaurant kitchen and labs and a fine cocoa museum and visitor centre. For the first time ever, an innovation centre will integrate agriculture, food processing, research and commercialisation for a single food crop – cocoa. Prof Clement Sankat in his remarks affirmed, “As principal I am extremely pleased with this development, particularly at this juncture when our country and region are searching for diversification options.” He indicated that the IFCC is a futuristic project that seeks to develop a niche cocoa market industry from production, processing, and product development. He believes this to be a “nerve centre” that will support cocoa development throughout this region. This centre is based on the “tripe helix” model led by the UWI, but involves integrally the government and the private sector. Sankat believes that value creation in this industry is very important for its survival and he thanked the EU and all the global chocolate manufacturers for their presence and support of the CRC. He was especially seeking their assistance for the maintenance and upkeep of the internationally known Cocao Gene Bank in St Helena. He lamented the decline in cocoa production locally and emphasised the need to re-engineer farms so that the use of mechanisation can be maximised. He went on to challenge the CRC to ensure that its work continues to be very impacting, the release said. Additional support for the IFCIC is being sought from government and the private sector agencies. For more information on the project: the Cocoa Research Centre, UWI, St Augustine or email pumaharan@sta.uwi.edu. (TT Newsday)