Sao Tome Epitomizes 'Small Is Beautiful'
When German economist and statistician E.F.Schumacher published his book "Small is Beautiful" in 1973, he based his thesis on the premise that 'if an economic unit can stay small it'll tend to be democratic'.
Schumacher conceptualized that a people-centric economic model would enable environmental and human sustainability. On some counts, the idyllic islands of Sao Tome and Principe, off the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, measure up to this epithet.
For one thing, Sao Tome and Principe are the second smallest islands in Africa (1000 sq. kms) and undoubtedly beautiful. They have a small and healthy population (220,000). They have relatively the most robust democratic credentials in entire Africa. Sao Tome is a low-income country ($2100 per capita in 2020) and trying to graduate to a mid-income country by 2026. There are high expectations from its population and international donors that Sao Tome would move swiftly towards industrialization and economic emancipation. Conscious of limitations of its market size and manufacturing capabilities, Sao Tome is, instead, striving to leverage its traditional reverence to biodiversity conservation to serve a niche and high-end international market.
Agriculture contributes more than 55% of its total exports. Such exports are spurred by just five high quality products - cocoa, palm oil, coconut, vanilla, and coffee. Because of their perceived high quality, they command a premium in world markets.
This is especially true of Sao Tome’s chocolates, whose distinctive bars are appearing in many European outlets. In 1992, Italian Claudio Corallo was the pioneer businessman, who set up chocolate factory in Sao Tome city. Today he is known as the iconic chocolate man on the islands. He has ushered a tradition of single-estate, vintage, and craft chocolate production. Chocolate exports constitute about 20% of Sao Tome's total exports. Decades of passion and care about the exact permutation and combination of ingredients and the chocolate making process, has resulted in unique flavours, like the orange, strawberry and chili flavours !
(Pic by Raghu Gururaj)
The chocolate industry has spawned many touristic tasting tours to the legendary chocolate trails through picturesque cocoa plantations and delightful villages. Visits to chocolate factories and outlets are included, where visitors can witness the delicate chocolate making process.
(Google Images)
They can also try each of the four varieties of certified organic chocolate made with cocoa from the iconic plantations. It is possible to buy chocolate spreads, drinking chocolate and bonbons. Tasting sessions are also held to sample a dozen kinds of chocolate. It is no surprise that an Italian newspaper rated Claudio Corallo's chocolates as ‘the best in the world’.
Organic coffee is another exquisite export item of Sao Tome (7% of its total exports). Just like chocolates, renowned family-owned enterprises have elevated the smooth Sao Tomean Arabica coffee to a global level. Like in the case of cocoa, tourists are taken through a historical coffee trail, culminating in a visit to the renowned Monte Cafe. Located in the ruins of the oldest coffee plantation of Sao Tome, the Coffee Mountain Museum evokes intense feelings of nostalgia about slavery on the plantation. Though low on volumes, its quality has carved a niche for itself in the world of coffee. Sao Tomean coffee is expensive because it has a specially refined taste and in short supply.
Sao Tome produces a rare kind of Vanilla, which is identified by a distinctive nutty and caramel aroma. The process of growing Vanilla is a painstaking, yet delicate process.
Vanilha, a company created by Italian businessman, is utilizing the generational knowledge of a handful of vanilla farmers, to perfect the process of production of high-quality vanilla beans, vanilla essence, and vanilla rum. As the owner says " Vanilha is not about mass production, it’s a question of quality and patience. A flower is like a single bean, and it must be pollinated by hand, which is an expert skill".
Coconut oil is another high-quality product. By no means a money spinner, bottles of Sao Tome's organic and highly flavoured coconut oil, are visible in several African and European markets. Belgian French company Valudo rehabilitated the abandoned coconut groves in Sao Tome and is producing a variety of coconut products. The company was awarded a gold medal in Paris for their commitment to preserving the biodiversity of São Tomé and PrÃncipe.
The production of palm oil in Sao Tome is an odd case, that has courted controversies and protests. Palm grows naturally in very conducive conditions. For long, the people and naturalists have been apprehensive about the destructive effects of palm cultivation on the precious biodiversity and soil of Sao Tome and Principe.
When a Belgian company attempted to acquire 5,000 hectares for palm oil plantations in PrÃncipe, the local people successfully thwarted the attempt. But a EU financed company is running a palm plantation in Sao Tome. Of late, palm oil has emerged as the new main export product, garnering almost 30% of country's exports.
Through a carefully balanced policy, Sao Tome is trying to reinforce its organic and sustainability credentials by creating pockets of excellence by anchoring its agricultural production on five of its best natural assets.
For Sao Tome and Principe, the Shakespearean question of “To be small or not to be at all", is not as important as to whether it can promote sustainable use of its ecosystems and promote inclusive economic growth and diversification at the same time. Only time will tell.
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