The chocolate maker Ritter Sport will start harvesting cocoa in the country in 2017 at its own plantations.
The increase in the international price of cocoa is one of the main problems facing manufacturers, some of whom have chosen to obtain their raw material from their own plantations in order to reduce costs.
It has been projected that the international price, which is trading above $3,200 a metric ton, will maintain its upward trend, favoring Nicaraguan producers.
Demand for chocolate is pushing up grain prices, which is complemented by a decline in cocoa production in other countries engaged in farming.
Manfred Günkell, general manager of Ritter Sport in Nicaragua, told Elnuevodiario.com.ni that "...
The German company Ritter Sport plans to invest $25 million in promoting the production and export of cocoa in Nicaragua.
Ritter Sport, which is the main international buyer of cocoa produced in the South Atlantic Autonomous Region, sells 60,000 tonnes of chocolate to 95 countries worldwide. Manfred Gunkel, Ritter Sport's general manager, said that cocoa is a "strategic cultivation" for this country, which produces about 3000 tons, 1,500 of which are exported.
The Ritter Sport Company will purchase 100% of the organic cocoa production from the South Atlantic Zone.
The bases of the agreement that Dr. Gerardo Escudero, representative of the Inter-American Institute for Agricultural Cooperation, IICA, is working on also include the purchase of 100% of the production, support for quality improvement processes and the costs of certification.
Operating Company dedicated to the manufacture of gluten-free and sugar-free products, OHNE brand. The OHNE brand has 8 product lines: square bread, sweet...