Local Cocoa Farmers Trained to Handle Frosty Pod Disease

Frosty Pod disease, caused by the fungus, ‘Moniliophthora roreri’, has been a significant threat to cocoa production in Jamaica.

First discovered in Jamaica in August 2016 on a Clarendon farm, frosty pod disease became a major challenge in 2018, severely affecting local cocoa production.

The disease threatened farmers’ livelihoods and jeopardised Jamaica’s position as one of the eight producers of fine flavour cocoa in the world.

Frosty Pod disease manifests through abnormal shape, discoloration, premature ripening lesions, and the telltale white spores covering the cocoa pod, leading to premature pod death and reduced cocoa yields.

The affected pods turn yellow or brown, harden, and become difficult to remove from the tree. As the disease progresses, it affects the beans and reduces marketable yields over time.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, through the Plant Quarantine and Produce Inspection Unit, initiated a Frosty Pod Rot project, treating 5,917 acres of cocoa using a farmer-centric approach.

Lauding the programme’s success, Chief Technical Director of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Oliver Palmer, highlights that between September 2022 and February 2025, an additional 2,145 acres of cocoa were treated under the programme.

“We started this programme aimed at managing the pest, keeping it under control. That has been quite successful. Today we have been able to eradicate the pest from Trelawny, so Trelawny is free of Frosty Pod disease,” he tells JIS News in an interview.

“It spreads rapidly because it’s really a fungus, and so there are challenges with the controlling of the disease. Nevertheless, we have been quite successful at that. The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) has been doing quite a very good job with integrated pest management practices in the field; RADA has a whole host of technical expertise deployed in managing the disease in the affected areas,” adds Mr. Palmer.

Director of Project Management and Coordination at RADA, Dwayne Henry, emphasises the importance of cultural disease management practices.

“Currently under the programme, our major focus is the implementation of cultural disease management practices. Once you grow cocoa, you can access assistance from RADA in implementing the range of cultural disease management practices in order that the disease can be adequately managed on your holding,” Mr. Henry tells JIS News.

Compliance Officer for the Cocoa Frosty Pod Disease Management Programme, Alfred Dunkley, highlights the training and awareness efforts of RADA.

“RADA’s response was two-phased. First, in terms of training where the awareness of the disease needs to be highlighted. So, a series of training for the cocoa farmers was implemented in the major cocoa growing areas. This has proven to be very successful,” he notes.

The development of Frosty Pod Rot requires suitable environmental conditions, the presence of the fungus in the area, and a host that is susceptible to infection.

“Let’s say you remove the fungus by applying pesticides, you still have the host remaining and you still have a favourable environment remaining, but pests cannot develop, or the disease cannot develop to cause economic damage,” adds Mr. Henry.

In Jamaica, primary cocoa cultivation occurs in the parishes of St. Mary, St. Catherine, Clarendon, St. Andrew, Portland, St. Thomas, Trelawny, and St. James. The largest area devoted to cocoa farming is situated in Northern Clarendon.

One cocoa farmer who benefited from the training is Neville Condappa from Highgate in St. Mary.

“I was invited to a Frosty Pod seminar on management and training put on by RADA. It was an all-day seminar, and they went through the whole thing – identification, what you do with the field, sanitation, treatment and follow-up exercises. It was a training that was not above our level as farmers, and we could understand and relate to what was happening,” he says.

Cocoa farmer from Esher in St. Mary, Kevin Hinds, shares his experience with Frosty Pod Rot disease and the benefits of RADA’s intervention.

“This farm used to be the leading farm in St. Mary, getting 1,500 to 2,000 boxes a week and it came down to us not getting anything for some three or four years. If RADA didn’t step in, we wouldn’t have gotten 500 boxes last year,” he says.

“When we noticed it is when it was breaking, because some of the Frosty Pod disease starts from inside and you get that toughness. Then anywhere extra cool, that’s where you get the Frosty Pod Rot on the outside,” adds the cocoa farmer.

If you suspect your farm may be affected by Frosty Pod disease, contact your nearest RADA parish office immediately or speak with your RADA agricultural extension officer for urgent guidance and support.