Greater infrastructure is needed to take advantage of the good moment of Peruvian cocoa

Peruvian cocoa and chocolate industry is on the rise, with the country becoming a significant player in the global market due to productive and sanitary challenges in Africa. The industry, which includes 120,000 producers and generates 600,000 jobs, is led by Ucayali with 54,000 tons of cocoa production. However, the sector is still in its infancy domestically, with only 20% of production consumed locally. The industry faces challenges such as outdated agricultural registry and lack of favorable laws for increased production. The sector, which exports cocoa beans, butter, powder, and chocolate, saw exports reach $432 million last year and is projected to hit $1.1 billion this year.

(Agraria.pe) In the last two decades, cocoa cultivation is one of the most promoted, especially as part of the policy of substituting crops for coca leaves. Today, Peruvian cocoa and chocolate have become an industry that is beginning to gain strength and gain markets in the world, taking advantage of the productive and sanitary difficulties faced by the large producing countries of the African continent. José Antonio Mejía Polanco, president of the Coffee and Cocoa Committee of ADEX, tells us that the cocoa sector includes 120 thousand producers in the country and generates some 600 thousand jobs, both direct and indirect. It is a productive chain of which Ucayali is currently the leader with 54 thousand tons of cocoa; followed by Junín with 30 thousand, Cusco with 20 thousand, and others that add up to a total of 14 regions where the crop can be found. Despite this productive prosperity, the internal front still has much to develop. “Peru not only exports cocoa beans, but also ...