 The Cocoa Sector Enhancement project is geared towards the rehabilitation of cocoa farm holdings, transplanting of unproductive plants, and increasing of acreages with the overall goal of increasing cocoa bean production while improving resilience to climate change and the most common diseases that impact cocoa plants. Under the project, farmers are given the opportunity to sign a memorandum of understanding which would facilitate the collection of data including the status of cocoa plants, production, sale of cocoa beans, as well as the prices of the produce. One of the tangible outcomes of the Cocoa Sector Enhancement project is the additional subsidization of cocoa trees at $2 per plant. Head of the Agricultural Region 6 and Interim Coordinator of the Cocoa Sector Enhancement project, Eloy Alexis, notes that these initiatives aim to address issues such as low return, low market penetration, and cross cutting issues including insufficient data on cocoa production. Basically, what that project stands to do is to revitalize and expand the cocoa farm sub-sector. A number of initiatives has been targeted, such as the propagation of seedlings for farmers. Currently, we have on offer cocoa seedlings for farmers at a further subsidized price of $2 before it was $4. Right now we are selling these seedlings at $2 per plant for farmers, just to encourage them to increase the acreage of cocoa on the island. The Department of Agriculture has also collaborated with the Cocoa Research Center at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad to host quality analysis and sensory analysis training. Mr. Alexis adds that the department is also looking into the possibility of forming a marketing corporation for cocoa farmers. The reason why we have decided to go via the route of the corporation is that we want to give farmers greater return. And what happens with the cocoa sub-sector cocoa in terms of the persons who are involved in cocoa production? If you were to produce cocoa beans and then just sell the raw material, there isn't much profit to be made from that. And I'm considering the fact that cocoa is a plantation crop. You need a very sizable acreage so that for you to make a decent living from cocoa. So hence the reason why we are going for the route of a corporation, that these people when we sell the beans or the corporation market the beans, any dividends, any profit which is derived from the corporation, these profits would be repatriated to the farmers. Farmers interested in purchasing cocoa plants through the Cocoa Sector Enhancement Project should contact their local extension office. The plants will be made available at the Bath Propagation Station in Sufre, near Myers Bridge. From the communications unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, I am Anicia Antoine reporting.