HELP REBUILD CACAOFIJI & FAMILIES POST TC YASA

Tropical Cyclone Yasa, with Cat 5 intensity, made landfall over Vanua Levu, Fiji, in the evening of 17 -18 December. It caused heavy destruction to infrastructure, buildings and agricultural areas.  There were about 145,000 people within the area with wind speed higher 120km/h to 250 km/ h lasting up to 10 hours.. More than 23,000 individuals were evacuated in advance of the tropical cyclone, which resulted in several deaths, scores of destroyed homes, community buildings, farms and crops, flooding, and power outages, most severely on the island of Vanua Levu. Government of Fiji estimates of hundreds of millions of dollars. Initial vulnerability assessment indicates that approximately 93,000 people in the 3 provinces of northern division are economically vulnerable. Most of these locations are cocoa farming areas.

Cacao Fiji farms and works with farmers in the 3 affected provinces of Macuata, Bua and Cakodrove . We are helping revive the cocoa farming in Fiji and we are the leading exporter of  cocoa beans from  Fiji for craft chocolate makers while directly employing 15- full and partime employees as well working with  approximately 100 cocoa farmers and communities. Most of these cocoa farmers  are in areas of high unemployment and high poverty .

 The Cyclone has badly affected our processing community of  Dreketi, Macuata. There are extensive damages to our properties and farms including processing, fementary, drying, nursery center, roads that is  located in Matasawalevu,  Dreketi in the province of Macuata.  The homes of workers have also been badly damaged and in some cases completely blown away.

Our cocoa farm and processing center has sustained extensive damages:

1.            Most of the cocoa trees have been damaged that will severely affect our production and cash flow in the next two years.  We will need to rehabilitate the trees immediately , plant new cocoa trees as  new shade trees 

2.            The nursery is damaged used to supply seedlings to farmers and increase new plantings on cocoa farms. We will need to raise new seedlings to embark on new planting for all damaged plants as well as distribution to farmers  

3.            Damages to the structures on the site including fermentation, dryers, warehouse, farm manager house . These will need to be repaired to normalize operations at export standards. 

4.            Extensive Damages to the road leading to the site including crossover bridge due to the high rainfall and floods.

 

Donating to our cause will allow us to repair our damages, sustain our cocoa workers  and farmers and keep them employed as they rebuild their lives and homes .