Chocolate makers stoke growth for Indian cocoa beans | EUROtoday

If it hadn’t been for the squirrels, George Matthew’s try to develop into a cocoa bean producer may need failed.

His farming profession started within the Nineteen Seventies when he inherited a rubber plantation within the the southern Indian state of Kerala , which he managed alongside his profession as a health care provider.

It was a nasty time to inherit a rubber plantation, falling rubber costs meant it stored dropping cash. So, 10 years in the past Dr Matthew determined to experiment with cocoa timber, hoping they’d generate some funds to assist the remainder of the farm.

He purchased some saplings and planted them. It did not go properly.

“It was not that successful – most of the saplings died,” he says.

Squirrels seemed to be making the state of affairs worse by grabbing cocoa bean pods and consuming them.

But these raids had an sudden profit – cocoa seeds have been unfold everywhere in the farm.

“All the scattered seeds soon grew in to plants and they were much healthier and stronger than the saplings I had planted,” says Dr Matthew.

“The trick was in sowing the seeds,” he realised.

Today Mr Matthews has 6,000 cocoa timber on his 50 acres of land.

“I think it was the best decision I have made,” he says.

Despite having a number of areas with climate situations appropriate for cocoa timber, India solely accounts for 1% of the world’s cocoa bean manufacturing.

Global manufacturing is presently dominated by West Africa, the place Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana between them produce greater than half of the world’s annual output.

Indian growers can solely provide 1 / 4 of the beans wanted by Indian makers of chocolate and different confectionary.

“The challenge is that it is grown in very fragmented small holdings, so it does not get the kind of attention cocoa should get,” says Renny Jacob, chairman of India Cocoa, a personal firm that has been rising and processing cocoa beans for greater than 30 years.

In specific he says that Indian farmers are poor at dealing with beans after they’ve been harvested. Once faraway from their pods, beans undergo a fermentation course of on the farm, which may make an enormous distinction to their flavour.

“Cocoa fermentation is a critical process in the production of chocolate, transforming raw cocoa beans into a form suitable for chocolate making,” says Sarin Partrick, chief govt of India Cocoa.

“This complex process involves several stages and the activity of various micro-organisms, which help develop the beans’ flavour, aroma, and colour,” he says.

To elevate the amount and high quality of cocoa bean manufacturing, the federal government has launched a number of initiatives.

It is investing in schemes to develop hybrid cocoa vegetation, which can be extra productive than current varieties.

In addition there are schemes to coach farmers on the newest strategies for rising and processing beans.

“There is a vast opportunity for Indian farmers to enter into cocoa cultivation and avail the benefits,” says Dr Femina, who works in the government department tasked with developing cocoa production.

Business is also investing in new cocoa tree vareities.

Dr Minimol J.S., is the head of cocoa research at Kerala Agriculture University and is working with Cadbury to develop hybrid cocoa trees.

In the project’s orchard existing high-performing varieties are cross-bred with exotic species.

So far the programme has come up with 15 new varieties.

“These are India’s first hybrid, disease-resistant seeds,” she says.

“The seeds are drought tolerant varieties, and have withstood temperatures of even 40C, which is usually not possible,” she adds.

The hybrids are also much more productive than traditional varieties.

“The global average production is 0.25 kilogram per year per tree.

“In Kerala, we get 2.5 kilograms per year per tree. In Andhra and Telangana, we are even getting a yield of four or five kilograms per tree per year,” she says.

India’s production of cocoa beans has risen significantly. This year it hit 110,000 tonnes, up 40% from 2015. But it’s still not enough to meet demand from local chocolate and confectionary makers.

India’s Cocoa Board estimates the demand from industry is rising at 15% per year.

Founded in 2019, Kocoatrait is one of a new generation of Indian chocolate makers.

Based in the east coast city of Chennai, the company only uses Indian cocoa beans.

One reason for that is that locally sourced beans have a much smaller carbon footprint than beans that have been shipped from another continent.

In addition, says Kocoatrait founder Nitin Chordia, Indian beans are cheaper than imports and have a distinctive flavour.

Mr Chordia also runs an agricultural school, where farmers are shown the latest innovations in fermenting and drying beans.

“We are constantly focussing on improving the post-harvest practices for cocoa farmers in India,” he says.

He adds that Indian farmers need to be producing higher quality beans.

“We are not able to compete with international players in the bulk cocoa bean segment,” he says.

While there has been improvement, Indian producers have some way to go.

“Over the final decade, within the fine-flavour cocoa bean section, India has began to get seen… however it will likely be a number of years earlier than all Indian tremendous flavour cocoa beans attain a stage of large-scale worldwide recognition.”

Back in Kerala, Dr Matthew reflects on his decade as a cocoa farmer.

“It’s a difficult plant,” he says. “Last yr I had no yield. So no farmer can rely solely on cocoa – one has to plant different timber together with it.”

Despite the challenges, he’s optimistic. “The future is vibrant, with big demand.”

“I’ve been approached by a multi-national firm to promote my manufacturing to them, so I can be making a great revenue.”