Sale and products

Historically, Trinidad cocoa beans are exported, and this includes beans from Corlans Estate. The beans from the Estate are dried in the traditional manner, that is open to the sun, and sold to an agent of the Cocoa and Coffee board of Trinidad and Tobago.

Harvesting

Cocoa planted in the year 2009, was harvested in 2014, and the two acres of cocoa trees yielded approximately 100 kg of cocoa. It is anticipated that production will improve as the trees mature. The estimated harvest for 2015 is expected to be in the region of 400kg of cocoa as approximately six acres are now bearing trees.

Cracking pods and removing beans

Pods loaded on pickup

 

 

Other maintenance

This includes clearing the drains during the dry season so that the land drains easily during the rainy season minimising the issues of black pod disease. Excess water can result in the death of young trees and can be just as destructive as no water.
 

Basic tools, spade, cutlass, luchet, weight lifters belt

Basic maintenance

Basis maintenance for the young cocoa is to keep the grass in the estate short and the various vines off the trees. Vines on the young trees literally strangles the life out of the plants and it will not survive beyond the first year on the ground.

Removing vines



 
taking a break

 

                      Replacing young plants

Some challenges

Some challenges
The challenges were not just the weather, it came from leaf cutting ants (bachacs). These are a huge challenge to control as they destroy in a week what took months of care to germinate and start producing new leaves. Control is by the use of bait specifically formulated by the local companies to treat with this pest.

Caption: One pod serves man, birds and beast

Harsh dry season

 

In the year 2010, Trinidad experienced months of drought which led to the loss of hundreds of young cocoa plants as well as shade crops (banana and plantains) which were not large enough to be effective. To survive the dry season, (which is normally January to the end of May), crops are sowed from June to November.



They are with us the in dry season and in the wet

Phased development

The planting of cocoa and shade crops such as plantains started in September 2009, with the aim of developing the estate in phases, and by having the first crops in the ground by June in 2010. Trinidad has two seasons a wet and a dry, therefore shade crops such as bananas and plantains must be planted along with the cocoa plants.

 

Clearing unwanted material

 

Access created with gravel after clearing trees



 

Resting after "felling" some trees



A chain saw is a powerful wonderful tool.

Preparing the land

The estate is planned, knowing how it should look before starting, and how will you get the cocoa beans to market? The footpath, clearings, tracks are part of the establishment of the cocoa estate. starting with selecting which trees and unwanted vegetation, such as heavy undergrowth should be cut.

 





 Preparing approximately 200 young cocoa plants for the estate.

 

Yellow orchid flowering on dead tree.

 

Another look at a wild yellow orchid growing on a dead tree. Observed during land preparation.

Challenges in making an estate

In Trinidad there several factors which one has to overcome when deciding to invest in establishing a cocoa estate.. Some of the challenges include financing, skilled labour, facilities, and predial larceny. The will to succeed, trusting friends and family makes it possible.

Other interesting animals and reptiles

The foothills of the central range provides the ideal habitat for the venomous mapepire (fer-de-lance) snake, and some interesting spiders. The tropical rainforest of Trinidad play host to many varieties of spiders, lizards, snakes, frogs and other reptiles. I thought all snakes laid eggs but the mapepire gives birth to baby mapepire.

 

A Mapipire Balsain killed during maintenance. I counted 34 young snakes in her stomach.



 

Another view of the baby snakes in their sacks.

 



Fish and Wild life

 

There exists a variety of wild life some of which can been spotted during the normal day on the estate these include the iguana, porcupine and brown spotted deer. The small naturally occurring streams which are active in the rainy season also attract some fresh water fish.



One of the active streams

Bird life

At any time there is a rich variety of birds and other wildlife such as the Kiskidee, Bluejay, humming bird, woodpecker, woodcreepers, green parrot, chicken hawk, and silver beak to name a few. For the avid bird watcher this is an ideal location given accessibility by road and friendly terrain.

 

Drying out after rains

Yellow breasted among branches

Parrots resting



  Parrots resting among flowering branches

 



   Nesting on the floor of the estate

 

 

 

Estate financing

Estate financing is by short term loans and fixed income from monthly salary. This method is used to finance the land preparation, purchasing of plants, and paying for assistance with the maintenance of the estate. This investment is expected to bring a fair return within the next three years. The fact that the plants can be obtained from the government station in Centeno Trinidad at subsidised prices greatly influences the decision to invest in cocoa production when compared to other crops.

Corlans Estate

The Corlans Estate consists of twelve acres, and on ten acres the emphasis is on the cultivation of cocoa. Hundreds of other tree crops are included in the estate such as, coconut, breadfruit, bananas, and cassava. The land is a friendly undulating firm clay type soil with small streams which are active in the rainy season.

Under the young breadfruit tree

Access

One can access the Coryal Village via one of several points, Sangre Grande in the East, Cumuto and the Cumuto main Road in the North, or from the west via Chaguanas through Brazil and Talparo. However the easiest access route is through Cumuto off the Churchill Roosevelt Highway which runs from Piarco to Valencia.

The environment

The physical environment is a mix of lush green tropical rainforest and the associated wildlife, abandoned cocoa estates, and some estates under subsistence cultivation. The Tamana caves are located a short twenty minutes drive away from the Corlans Eco Estate Coryal.

Young plantain and cocoa plants with forest back-drop showing wild orchids.