To stop competing with low prices, companies in Honduras focus on improving the quality of the grain they produce.
In the last few days on the New York Stock Exchange the ton of cocoa has been quoted at about $2,655, however, the better quality produced in the country allows companies like Chocolats Halba to pay local producers $4,000 per ton.
Luis Velex, manager of Chocolats Halba, a company that began operations in Honduras in 2008, told Laprensa.hn that "... Before we came here, there wasn't even a pound of fine chocolate produced here. This post-harvest process was taught, and our technicians follow up to ensure that the quality is maintained."
Producers in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, will have a processing plant, technical assistance and a global distribution network.
The funds from the Italian-Latin American International Organization (IILA) and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) are part of the project entitled "Revitalization of the quality cocoa chain in Central America and the Caribbean."
Last year exports of 17 types of fruits, vegetables and organic grains may registered a 4% increase compared to 2016.
In the last ten years, the number of agricultural producers dedicated to the cultivation of fruits, vegetables and organic grains increased from 1,500 to 6,451, according to figures from the National Secretariat for Health and Food Safety (SENASA). Also in the last decade, it is estimated that the planted area grew from 4,400 hectares to 31 thousand hectares.
On October 24th, a meeting of cocoa producers will be held in San Pedro Sula, where topics such as genetics and market opportunities will be discussed.
The forum, organized by the National Association of Cocoa Producers in Honduras, is expected to involve 400 producers and members of the National Committee of the Cocoa Chain.
At the beginning of April, cocoa futures prices continued the sustained downward trend initiated from the latter part of the previous month.
From the monthly report by the Cocoa International Organization:
Price movements
In April, the ICCO daily price averaged US$1961 per tonne, down by US$97 compared to the average price recorded in the previous month (US$2,058) and ranged between US$1,833 and US$2,123 per tonne.
Central American producers are invited to attend the Regional Cocoa Forum on August 17 and 18 in the Expocentre in San Pedro Sula.
The Cocoa Producers Association of Honduras (APROCACAHO) invites producers in Central America to exchange experiences regarding climate change, markets and obtaining good cocoa prices, reported Latribuna.hn.
"... Anibal Ayala, executive director of APROCACAHO said that the event will feature a taste contest, and will address issues such as climate change, production quality and information systems, which will be discussed by experts from the participating countries."
Promotion is being given to exports to China of organic cocoa-based foods, chocolate confectionery, unsweetened cocoa powder and cocoa paste.
From a statement issued by the Foreign Trade Office of Costa Rica:
Western foods are gaining increasing market share in South Korea, whose market depends heavily on imports, which have been boosted by growth in per capita spending on food.
As part of a strategy to position internationally cocoa produced in Guatemala the regional union of producers are working on a seal of origin and traceability.
The initiative by the Mesoamerican Organization of Cocoa and Fine Chocolate (Amacacao) is to create a mechanism to certify the origin, quality and traceability of the final product, in order to increase international positioning and increase exports.
Support is being given to sustainable agriculture programs to meet growing consumer concern about the origin of the raw materials of the products they consume.
From a statement issued by the Cosa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER):
Cargill and Mondelēz International are promoting two programs to have a cocoa supply chain which is 100% sustainable by 2020.
Projections are that next year's global grain production will remain insufficient to meet the growing demand, raising the international price to historically high levels.
In the international market the price of cocoa reported a 10% increase up to September this year, reaching $3.39 per ton of grain in the stock market in New York. It is expected that this trend will continue in 2015 due to high demand for the product.
Manufacturers and exporters of cocoa will meet in Tegucigalpa on October 1 to discuss issues of interest to the sector, including new techniques to improve the genetic quality of the grain.
Providing updated knowledge in the field of genetics, strategies for germplasm conservation and new mechanisms to enhance the organoleptic analysis of mixtures of clones grown in different regions around the country are part of the themes to be addressed at the Seventh National Forum of Cocoa organized by the Cocoa Producers Association of Honduras (Aprocacaho).
This year Ecuador could surpass Brazil as the largest producer of cocoa in America, with an expected increase of 9% in production, estimated at 240 thousand tons.
Like other producers of the grain, Ecuador is taking advantage of the surge in global demand for chocolate, devoting more resources to the cocoa industry in the country. Government assistance programs, new plantations and a lower incidence of El Niño on crops has led the sector to estimate that production will be 240,000 tonnes this year.
The FTA signed between the two countries explains the increase in sales of Peruvian cacao in Canada, which went from $200,000 in 2008 to $3.5 million in 2013.
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Office (Procomer):
Peruvian cocoa exports to Canada, according to the Business Intelligence System of the Exporters Association of Peru (ADEX), went from $200,000 in 2008 to $3.5 million in 2013 and the amount accumulated between January and May this year totaled $644,000.
The grain was quoted on the commodities exchange in New York in the week of July 21st at $3,234 per ton, the highest value in the last three years.
Growing global demand, driven by the sustained increase in of chocolate consumption in Asia is the main trigger for the rising price of the grain in commodity exchanges around the world.
"...Although crops are abundant in West Africa, the largest producing region, demand outstrips supply.
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