What is the common pest of cocoa?

What is the common pest of cocoa?

Mirid bugs such as Helopeltis are the most significant and widely occurring insect pests of cocoa, and the cocoa pod borer is a major pest in Malaysia and Indonesia. Mealy bugs are generally not a major pest themselves, but are a well known vector for viruses of cocoa.

What animal eats cocoa beans?

What animals eat cacao? The cacao tree’s animal predators, or animals that eat a part or a whole of the cacao tree, are mainly monkeys, bats, and squirrels, who eat the sweet pink pulp (soft wet stuff that cushions the beans) inside the fruit.

What bugs eat cacao?

Forcipomyia are members of the family Ceratopogonidae (aka biting midges) in the order of insects known as Diptera (flies). This genus is pantropical in distribution and evidence suggests they are the primary pollinator of cacao.

Which disease affects cocoa?

Moniliasis (caused by the fungus Moniliophthora roreri) is the disease that causes the most damage in this region and it is responsible for up to 80% of losses of cacao fruits or pods and the abandonment of many cacao plantations.

How can we protect cocoa?

Farmers can manage their cocoa plantations, with permanent shade, in a variety of ways:

1. thinning down the original forest canopy and keeping forest trees of interest;
2. planting fruit and timber species;
3. protecting the growth of valuable trees which grew naturally.

Why is cocoa production at risk?

Global climate change already negatively affects cocoa production with longer and more intense dry periods, increased and prolonged incidences of pests and diseases, and more erratic rainfall.

Why are cocoa trees important?

Cocoa is the essential ingredient for our chocolate. It originates from the seeds (cocoa beans) of the cocoa fruits (cocoa pods), which grow on cocoa trees. The production of cocoa begins in the tropical regions around the Equator, where the hot and humid climate is well suited for growing cocoa trees.

How much does a cocoa farmer get paid?

The average cocoa farm will produce one or two tonnes of cocoa beans a year; one tonne is 16 sacks of cocoa. The average farmer will make between $1,400-$2,000 profit a year, at most about $5 a day, which will need to support 6-10 dependants.

How much do cocoa beans sell for?

Monthly cocoa price worldwide 2016-2020 Between 2016 and 2019, the monthly price of cocoa worldwide peaked in mid-2016 at about 3,122 U.S. dollars per metric ton and has since declined to around 2,134 U.S. dollars per metric ton as of October 2018.

Where can I sell my cocoa?

Go to sites such as eBay and ECPlaza and create an account to list your cocoa beans. Many distributors use websites such as these to sell their products, and many sell items such as cocoa beans to manufacturers that need them. Enter “Cocoa beans” in the search box to get an idea of the buyers in your market.