BASILIO ALMONTE
TECHNICAL AND QUALITY MANAGER
CONACADO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
INTRODUCTION
The Dominican Republic shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with
its neighbour Haiti. More than a third of the country’s population of 9.9
million live in poverty, and almost 20 per cent are living in extreme
poverty, particularly in the rural border areas where agriculture is the
dominant occupation.
Cocoa is one of the main agricultural exports and is grown by around
40,000 small-scale farmers. In 2011, exports of 51,000 tonnes of cocoa
were worth $176m to the economy. For decades a few private companies
have dominated the cocoa sector without offering any real development
support for cocoa producers and their communities. Poverty-level incomes
prevent cocoa farmers from investing in the farm inputs, maintenance and
training in modern farming methods that could potentially double
productivity from their current low levels. As a result, the younger
generation do not see growing cocoa as an attractive proposition.
BASILIO ALMONTE
As CONACADO’s Technical and Quality Manager, Basilio Almonte is
responsible for compliance with Fairtrade, organic and other certification
standards and for ensuring the organization produces high quality cocoa
that meets the requirements of international markets.
The son of a farmer, Basilio worked on the land from an early age and
only ever foresaw a career in agronomy. He studied agronomy from the
age of fourteen and qualified as an Agricultural Technologist before
continued his studies at university and graduating in Agricultural
Engineering. This led to work as a technical advisor at Los Haitises
National Park, one of the largest and most important protected areas of
the country. Basilio joined CONACODA in 2003 to train producers in
cocoa quality improvement and organic farming techniques before
advancing to his present position.
Basilio is married with a four-year-old son and three-year-old daughter.
His ambition is to have his own cocoa farm that incorporates the
philosophies of fair labour, protection of the environment and good
agricultural practices – and one day to become President of CONACADO.
BACKGROUND TO CONACADO
COCOCADO has made a real difference to thousands of cocoa farmers
by establishing a strong farmers’ organisation that offers an alternative to
Basilio Almonte inspecting cocoa pods
‘ One of the most
satisfying aspects of my
work with CONACADO
has been the community
development projects
funded by the Fairtrade
Premium, which
communicate the values
and the philosophy of
Fairtrade and show
those who produce and
buy cocoa products that
through our actions we
can have a more equal
world.’
Basilio Almonte, CONACADO,
Dominican Republic
private companies. It provides marketing, training, technical assistance and other services and has enabled its
members to achieve some degree of growth and stability in the production and marketing of their cocoa.
CONACADO was founded in 1988 and is made up of seven regional associations covering a large area of the
country. It has a membership of nearly 9,000 subsistence farmers who rely on cocoa for most of their income.
They produce around 15,000 tonnes of cocoa a year, 80 percent certified organic. The average farm is 3.7
hectares (9 acres), with cocoa grown under the shade canopy of tall native trees and smaller banana, citrus,
and avocado trees whose fruit is sold at the local market. Vegetables are grown for home consumption.
The associations have their own offices, warehouses and 44 processing facilities that employ 250 permanent
and 200 temporary workers. The cocoa beans are collected from farms and delivered to the processing facilities
where they are fermented, dried, stored and transported to the port ready to be exported.
FAIRTRADE
CONACADO was Fairtrade certified in 1997. In 2013 more than two thirds of members’ production (9,500
tonnes) was sold to the Fairtrade market, ensuring better, stable prices and the additional Fairtrade Premium of
$200 a tonne to invest in a range of business and community improvements.
These projects include:

Construction of new fermentation and drying centres and warehouse facilities to improve the quality of
CONACADO’s cocoa.

Thirty agricultural training officers have been employed to provide technical training to help farmers
improve yields, convert to organic production and plant new cocoa trees.

Roads have been repaired to ensure cocoa can be collected and delivered to drying centres.

Vulnerable hillsides have been reinforced to prevent land slips that block roads and damage property
during the rainy season.

Schools have been built and repaired, with scholarships and equipment provided to students from
poorer families.

A community centre with subsidised canteen and a library have been built.

A new IT centre helps children with school work and brings the internet to the community.

A rural clinic, free medical checks, and clean water projects are improving health.

A Credit Scheme gives members access to interest-free loans and credit to improve their homes and
farms.
Fairtrade Foundation February 2015
The Scottish Fair Trade Forum
The Scottish Fair Trade Forum was established in January 2007 by a group of Fair
Trade campaigners, Scotland-based non-governmental organisations and the
Scottish Government, to promote the cause of Fair Trade in Scotland and, in
particular, help secure Fair Trade Nation Status for Scotland.
Fair Trade Nation status was defined by criteria drawn up jointly by the Scottish
Executive and Welsh Assembly Government in 2006. These set out the
commitments that the Scottish Parliament, Government, local authorities and other
public bodies needed to make to earn Scotland Fair Trade Nation status. Scotland
achieved Fair Trade Nation status in February 2013 and is only the second nation
(after Wales) to achieve this. Since then, the Forum has worked hard to widen and
deepen Scotland’s awareness and understanding further by running producer tours,
supporting Fair Trade businesses in Scotland, promoting Fair Trade in education,
engaging with young people on the topic of Fair Trade, promoting Fair Trade in
procurement along with hosting many events annually.
The Scottish Fair Trade Forum works to help make Scotland a nation which is a
global leader in challenging global poverty and recognises the dignity and rights of
producers through a commitment to fairness in international trading.
Fairtrade Fortnight 2015 runs from 23 February to 8 March 2015. There is more
information about the full range of events on our website. We are delighted to have
lots of events across the country planned and are looking forward to attending
yours.
@FairTradeNation
facebook.com/FairTradeNation
www.sftf.org.uk
+44 (0)141 353 5611
Scottish Fair Trade Forum – Scottish charity No. SCO039883. Scottish company No. SC337384