Here's how progressive farmers are harvesting cacao at farms in West Godavari

At 7 am 62yearold Boyapati Venkateswara Rao heads to his farm at Tadikalapudi West Godavari on his bike About an hour ahead of Vijaywada Rao grows coconut cacao palm oil areca nut bush pepper agarwood mango and jackfruit as the main crop using organic manure and flood irrigation on 12 acres of landldquoNature is Godrsquos gift and farming is a beautiful way to appreciate its bounties Multicropping works best for the farm and the farmers and that is what most people in the region followrdquo he tells us humbly wearing his trademark white shirt and trousers with a red chequered cotton towel over his shoulder On this sultry morning as we walk on the farm we meet his eightyearold grandson Nihal Sai as he plays with an earthworm A Grade 3 student he knows more about cacao farming than Google can tell usThe fivestep fermentation by experts takes eight daysJuly is offseason but the theobroma cacao trees here are still laden with cacao fruits Rao nonchalantly plucks one off the tree and breaks it open A sitaphal lookalike we dig into the slimy textured pulp that coats the seed and pop it in our mouth The flavour is complexmdashfruity sweet and tart with hints of citrus mango and mangosteen The bean is a bitter astringent taste and is nothing like cacao as we know it We are told it develops postfermentation and sun drying and roasting the beans gives it a further deeper denser flavourAs per the Directorate of Cashewnut and Cocoa Development the West Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh is the largest cacaogrowing region in India From November till May labour is hired once a week from 8 am to 1 pm to harvest the cacao fruits Harvesting at the right time is critical to the cacao beanrsquos flavour and eventually that of the chocolate Although pods mature at different times even on the same tree unfortunately the industrial practice is to harvest in one goVenkateswara Rao BoyapatiThings changed when in 2018 secondgeneration entrepreneur Chaitanya Muppala went on a search for quality Indian chocolate He learned the difference between industrial and craft chocolate which led him to create a business model for fine flavour Indian craft chocolate Subsequently in 2021 he incorporated Distinct Origins Private Limited to establish the West Godavari region as a place of origin from where potential global craft chocolate makers could import fine flavour cacao beans They joined hands with Rao and 100 other progressive farmers in the region to form a collective and share global bestindustry practices with themldquoNow our labourious and timeintensive process involves carefully cutting each treeripened pod at the peak of flavour adhering to stringent harvest protocolsrdquo he says ldquoThis allows us to care about the longterm health of cacao trees soil and the land We make a clean cut through the tree stalk with a pruning hook without damaging the flowering area from which potential future pods will grow An overripe pod means it will start to germinate and wonrsquot be ideal for use We detect optimal ripeness by the cacao podrsquos colour and sound The pod changes colour from red to green to purple and eventually yellow when it is ready for harvest We also tap the pod to listen for loose seeds inside indicating that it is ripe for pickingrdquoRao has been irrigating his farm with flood irrigation for about eight years ldquoas it ensures all layers of the soil get water and the roots are well nourished In this region for over a hundred years we have been depending on ponds for farming About 10 years ago we followed drip irrigation with The Polavaram Project an underconstruction multipurpose irrigation project on the Godavari River in the Eluru District and East Godavari District but I noticed the yield was low and I switched to flood irrigation With the Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Project a river interlinking project that connects the Godavari to Krishna River water comes to our pond through canals to support drip irrigation from November to May I learnt about irrigation on my own and have observed that with flood irrigation yield is better plants are colourful quality taste flavour the colour of the fruits are perfectrdquoDuring offseason like now the staff picks coconuts fallen off the trees ldquoDropped coconuts have more minerals and nutrients We use them in various formsrdquo he adds while coming out with a tray of jaggerylaced coconut chips for us to munch on Not too far from the farm is Distinct Origins Cacao Fermentery a stateoftheart cacao processing facility built inside a former tobacco warehouse where harvested pods are opened within 24 hours to prevent fermentation The discarded husks are converted to vermicompost and put back to work to replenish the soilrsquos nutrients The fermentary is the largest of its kind in India and is estimated to be the second largest in the worldldquoIndia has been growing cacao for over six decades says Muppala ldquoyet we are not known for fineflavoured cacao Instead our cacao has an unappealing flavour with sharp acidic notes thanks to rudimentary fermentation and careless drying methods harsh sun and volatile temperatures Both fermentation and drying are crucial in bringing out the inherent flavours of cacao but the farmers lack resources infrastructure and time So we decided to take control of this stepmdashinstead of buying processed beans from farmers the company buys the fruit and processes it at the fermentary taking the load off member farmers giving them the time and energy to focus on nurturing their cropsrdquo Muppala has also been conducting extensive experiments to revolutionise the fermentation and drying processes of Indian cacao through scientific interventions and proprietary technologyAt the fermentary a stringent process is in place for cacao screening to ensure that no raw exposed or damaged pods enter the system The pods are opened using wooden clubs so as to not damage the seeds and fermentation is a fivestep process overlooked by skilled fermenters During the eightdaylong process the beans and their sweet pulp are placed in wooden sweat boxes lined with banana leaves and covered with jute bags to maintain temperature and moisture levels The pulp provides the sugar for fermentation while the banana leaves contain natural yeast and microorganisms that help kickstart the process The bean is then slowdried on movable racks alternating between sun and shade to remove excess moisture without losing the flavour Post careful sorting and grading it is vaccum packed in 20 kg batches for ease of transport especially for craft chocolatiers and ready to go to the market