Interview of Prof. Paul Hadley, University of Reading, UK, President of the organising committee of the ongoing 17th International Conference on Cocoa Research in Yaounde.

 Concretely, where are we with research on cocoa in the world today?

Since the first International Cocoa Research Conference, we have entered a stage where we have produced a whole range of tools that can be used to target the breeding of cocoa for productivity, quality, disease and drought resistance which are important because increasingly, the crop is being devastated by diseases. We are starting to be more worried now about the impact of climate change and what impact it might have. With all of these, research is of vital importance and we are entering a new age of research.

What about research on climate change?

Very little work has been carried out so far on climate change. But in terms of pests and diseases, huge progress has been made. All of these scientific tools will enable in the future to do more targeted research so that we should be able to find pests and disease resistance.

Which of the 160 papers being presented during the Yaounde conference are proposing solutions to the problems plaguing the cocoa sector?

To some extent, they are all proposing solutions to the problems confronting small-holder farmer. Each of papers contributes to increased understanding of the problems.

What about using research results that have been established so far?

This conference is one of the main ways in which researchers are able to present the results of their research. This is probably the only time some researchers working in national institutes have an opportunity to travel and meet other researchers to discuss their results. So, the COPAL conference is absolutely vital in making sure that the research is publicised. Participants here will be listening to those findings and taking them back to their respective countries and I hope that they will be implemented so that the cocoa farmer can benefit directly from all of these.