BINTULU: The country needs about 3,200 tonnes of dry cocoa bean production per year to meet domestic demand, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
He said that in 2022, Malaysia produced 493 tonnes of dry cocoa beans but that amount was still not sufficient to meet domestic market demand.
Fadillah, who is also plantation and commodities minister, said the uptick in demand was mainly due to the increase in companies producing chocolate in the country.
“Our chocolatiers have increased but our cocoa supply is lacking. Most of the supply has to be imported from African countries.
“This means that the cocoa industry has potential because of the growing demand,” he told reporters after attending the Cocoa Plant Roadshow and Handmade Chocolate Demonstration programme here today.
Fadillah said the government is encouraging cocoa cultivation at the community level including in villages.
“At the village level, they can identify an area for planting and establish a cooperative.
“This cooperative will later be responsible for collecting the cocoa and carrying out the process to dry it and sell it,” he said.
In his speech at the event, Fadillah said the country’s cocoa plantation area stood at 5,985 hectares and of that, 1,454 hectares were cultivated in Sarawak.
He said cocoa crops in Sarawak are concentrated in Kota Samarahan and Sarikei. – Bernama
