When she graduated of Agricultural Engineering from University of Táchira, more than 32 years ago, she never imagined that life would lead her on a fascinating journey of pods and flavours, to be acknowledged in South Lake -and much of Venezuela- as the “Bible of Cocoa”. Her name inspires respect, appreciation and affection. Iraima Chacon Ramirez is a beautiful mixture of joy, eagerness, intelligence and everlasting youth. With her always painted lips and her habitual good sense of humour, Iraima reawakens the field with her candour, her knowledge and her yearning to turn a piece of land into prosperous farms, and leave as a legacy what she has learned in more than three decades by touring the fields with the same energy and curiosity of the first time.
By Joselina Rodriguez
Photos: Liliana Elias
Cocoa appeared and took over her life 24 years ago, extending her a pleasant invitation to meet it, study it, analyse it morphologically, process it, taste it and share all that knowledge with the relieved generation. Iraima’s face lights up with each anecdote and learning about the cherished seed. Her eyes sparkle just like a woman in love, and her words about cocoa show her love for this aromatic and delicious fruit.
Today, this human library, born in the city of Lobatera, Tachira state, is the Coordinator of the Socialist Research Centre and Cocoa Development (CESID-Cacao) of Corpozulia, where she not only works as a researcher but also as an educator. From this display case she has been in charge of assisting and teaching cocoa farmers in the South area of Maracaibo’s lake in Venezuela, a task that also carries out with students from primary education classrooms to the university. Undoubtedly, her best lessons are taught outside the classroom, on the plantations, while exploring each tree and its environment.
Iraima makes her knowledge the best weapon to empower those who come from behind, cocoa entrepreneurs who understand the importance of culture not only as an element of Venezuelan cultural identity, but also as an economic strength for the country’s development.
Captivating beginnings
Iraima developed all her knowledge of Venezuelan cacao over the years with her journey through various states of the country. This allowed her to get in touch with nature and explore an endless amount of ecosystems that give especial characteristics to the field. She recalls that at her early career, she worked with coconut in Falcon state, until she was invited to work with cocoa at Corpozulia, without even thinking that she would be caught up in this world, having no intention to leave it.
“I started to take tours of the mountains of South Lake since 1995 with my friend, Ramon Sanchez, who has passed away, but who taught me a great deal about the types of cocoa, especially Criollo. In those tours we observed a variety of cocoas with many shapes and colours, even some very beautiful with white or pink almonds that we thought them to be hybrids and not Criollos “he says.
Since then, Chacon began to assign sowing material to producers seeking plants at Corpozulia, where there is a nursery in which cocoa Criollo Porcelana is distributed, a type of cacao that does not grow in much of the Andean foothills, according to this expert.
“Cocoa in my life means a constant struggle, because of its importance in cultivation, the care of its plants by good agricultural practices and the revival of Criollo cocoas. I have learned to know their potential and started to become passionate for this seed, and now I know to speak nothing else but cocoa, especially about Criollo Porcelana cocoa as well ancestral Criollos, since they carry the history of Venezuela with them, our origin as well as the value given by our indigenes to worship their gods, “she says.
The pleasant experience and interest of this professional Agricultural Engineer, led her to take over the Germplasm Bank of Cacao, unique in the world, after hosting cocoas Criollo Porcelana, Criollo Guasare and others Criollo collected in Zulia and Tachira, as Corpozulia emphasises on its website.
“Here I have learned a great deal about the importance of good agricultural practices for a proper growth and productivity of the plant and its conservation in time. Due to its immense value, I realized my need of having more knowledge about crop genetics and also learning how to identify the types of cocoa, since many producers say that, for instance, they have Porcelana cocoa, but they do not really know to identify its true features yet. Therefore, it is important for every producer to know what kind of cocoa he has, how the plants should be pruned, how to fight plagues and diseases, among other recommendations “he says.
An example of perseverance
For 24 years, Iraima Chacon Ramirez has become an obligatory reference and consultation even outside Venezuela, thanks to her extensive experience and thirst for knowledge. She knows the country’s history of cocoa, types, differences, needs of plants and producers, the present urban exodus taking place in South Lake which offers a new face to this region thanks to the precious seed. She does not hesitate when she is invited to know other places where cocoa could be a novelty, and gives advice to new producers with the generosity of great spirits.
Her youthful energy invites both experts and beginners in the cocoa field to investigate what each pod contains. Her eagerness and perseverance have deserved the affection of many farmers and students in South Lake.
Her family sees her with this same kind of look, “her most important cocoa”. Iraima has always tried to be close to her family and teach them the value of her work with cocoa. There still remain many plantations to be discovered, many almonds to be analysed, and much Porcelana cocoa to be taken care of. Thus, Iraima will always be ready for whatever may come, and in the best disposition to extol the seed of Venezuela, the pride of South Lake.
By Joselina Rodriguez
