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COCOA IN HONDURAS AND NICARAGUA THREATENED BY FUNGUS.

Article Excerpt
Honduran cocoa growers will not benefit this year from high world prices for their commodity. The crop has been hit by disease. First infected in 1998, Honduran cocoa plantations are in danger of being destroyed by the fungal disease Moniliasis, found a study by the Fundacion Hondurena de Investigacion Agricola.

In 1998, Honduras had about 6,500 hectares of cocoa trees, mostly along the Atlantic coast. They produced about 5,000 metric tons annually, of which 2,000 MT were processed domestically and the rest exported into the regional and European markets.

Cocoa prices are high and headed higher. But Honduran production, hit by both Hurricane Mitch (see NotiCen, 1998-11-12) and disease, has fallen to barely 1,000 MT a year. Moniliasis continues to ravage the trees. Domestic processors will import fruit from the Dominican Republic, and from Panama. This is a market that used to be filled internally.

President of the Honduran Asociacion de Productores de Cacao, Tito Jimenez, said they now export half their production to Central America, a quarter to Europe, and the rest to the US.

Climate and soil factors have placed Honduras in an important position in world production. The fruit is cultivated year-round, with harvest peaks between March and May, and between September...

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