Viabilité de la culture du cacaoyer en Guyane française – approche par simulation

Abstract

Viability of cocoa cultivation in French Guiana – a modeling approach Description of the subject. The cultivation of cocoa trees in French Guiana is currently experiencing a renewed level of interest and activity. A suitable framework is therefore needed to study the viability of this emerging area of cultivation. Objectives. To carry out an assessment of the technico-economic viability of cocoa cultivation and the processing of its products. Method. The costs and benefits of two different cropping systems and three types of end products were modeled. Results. The cropping system installed after partial forest clearing requires less labor and cash flow than the system based on association with banana, which allows a return on investment before the maturity of cocoa production. In order to be viable, cropping systems whose sole purpose is the production of fermented and dried beans would require yields of approximately 1 ton ha-1 and floor prices often above € 10,000 t-1. Such a result questions the feasibility of these systems. If beans were processed into cocoa sticks or chocolate, economic viability would be more easily acquired, but this would require investments that are not necessarily compatible with the cash flow of farms currently involved in cocoa farming. Conclusions. These results highlight the need to (re)consider in French overseas regions: (i) the nature and use of species associated with cocoa trees; (ii) the status of the cocoa tree as the main crop (or not) on farms; (iii) the diversification of cocoa products making it possible to feed several markets; (iv) the collective organization of the emerging sector to support production and processing; (v) technical and financial support (e.g.: CAP aid) for farmers embarking on cocoa farming.

Keywords

• agroforestry
• cocoa stick
• cocoa farming
• chocolate
• cropping system
• processing
• theobroma cacao
• musa spp.
• inga edulis