Paulo Albuquerque

Dr. Paulo Albuquerque has been working at MAPA/CEPLAC since 1986, currently as a federal agricultural auditor (CEPLAC is the Executive Commission of the Cocoa Farming Plan of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture). He is an agronomist graduated from the College of Agrarian Sciences of Pará in 1985 and a PhD in phytopathology (ESALQ/USP, 2006). He helped implement the PROCACAU Program (Rondônia/Brazil: 1986-1990) and was a researcher between 1994 and 1995 at CEPLAC’s Cocoa Research Center, then settled in the superintendence of CEPLAC in the Amazon, in Pará state, where he remains to the present day.

Paulo has conducted research and projects related to cocoa breeding focused on disease resistance (especially Witches' Broom), epidemiology of plant diseases and development of control methods. Since 2006, he works in the area of plant health & inspection and advises MAPA/DSV on the "National Plan for the Prevention and Surveillance of Moniliasis in Cocoa in Brazil". Since 2022, Paulo has been actively engaged in the activities to combat and suppress outbreaks of moniliasis (Frosty Pod Rot) in the Amazonas state cocoa areas.