Plantation Crops - Horticulture: Plants for People and Places - page 274

Fig. 8.13 Blemish-free fruit
has competitive advantage
in the western marketplace.
Growers have to go to great
lengths to protect fruit
from mechanical damage.
(©Daniells)
Fig. 8.14 Large banana
packing shed—mini-factories
preparing fruit for market.
Export banana produc-
tion was at the forefront
of industrialised horticul-
ture. Large workforces are
required to prepare the fruit
for market. (Photo courtesy
MacKay family)
possible because of the suitability of bananas to this style of horticulture and the
efforts of a great many people.
Cocoa—An Unusual Plantation Crop
Crop Production, Processing and Chocolate Making
Cocoa ( Theobroma cacao ) is a small cauliflorous tree, which produces pods con-
taining seed, referred to as beans, from which chocolate is made (Figs. 8.15 and
8.16 ). The tree flowers throughout the year but normally there are two distinct har-
vests that depend on the rain pattern (Knapp 1930 ). Well-drained soils, constant
mild temperature and regularly distributed rainfall of around 2000 mm/year are
optimal for cocoa farming, although regions such as West Africa which have an
average of 1250 mm/year also produce commercial crops (Wood and Lass 1985 ).
In areas with lower rainfall or a pronounced dry season, cocoa should be irrigated
as in Ecuador, Venezuela, India and Vietnam. Cocoa pods require 5-6 months from
pollination to maturity and two cycles of pod ripening are normal, with alternating
main and secondary harvests.