Surging prices, rocketing demand and the potential to boost rural income generation make a strong case for considering cocoa as a strategic crop in India’s agricultural portfolio, according to experts. India is currently a net importer of cocoa beans and products to sustain its booming chocolate industry.

Femina, Director, Directorate of Cashewnut and Cocoa Development (DCCD), said the country’s cocoa sector has the potential to emerge as a vibrant, self-sustaining industry providing strategic interventions such as scientific area expansion, robust planting material production, intensive capacity building, and collaborative stakeholder action.

Presenting a paper at the national level training on cocoa at the Kerala Agricultural University, she pointed out that “with a focused cluster-based approach for scientific area expansion in both traditional and non-traditional states, the country holds significant potential to reduce its reliance on cocoa imports by 50 per cent while unlocking new economic opportunities for farmers.”

Modest exports

India imports over 1.26 lakh tonnes of cocoa annually, valued at ₹4,247 crore, to meet its growing domestic demand, driven by the rise in chocolate and confectionery consumption. This heavy dependence leads to a massive foreign exchange outflow and leaves Indian industries vulnerable to international supply disruptions.

At the same time, exports remain modest with cocoa bean and products exports of 36,186 tonnes valued at around ₹1,522 crore in 2023-24.

The domestic production as of 2023-24 meets only 22 per cent of the national demand for cocoa beans, estimated at 1,33,000 tonnes annually. The shortfall of nearly 1,02,600 tonnes is met through imports from African countries, exposing the sector to global price volatility and supply risks, she said.

Cocoa cultivation is largely confined to Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Though the crop has tremendous potential to have the productivity between 1,500 and 2,000 kg/ha but still due lack of scientific knowledge the national productivity remains low at 884 kg/ha.

KAU hybrids dominate

The government, she said, has been promoting cocoa as a viable inter-crop with coconut and arecanut through initiatives under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture. The Directorate of Cashewnut and Cocoa Development is taking steps by supporting area expansion, quality planting material distribution by developing a polyclonal seed garden, nursery infrastructure and promoting capacity building training programmes to farmers / extension officials to enable market oriented cocoa production.

Minimol JS, Professor and Head of Cocoa Research Centre, KAU, said the university is developing and disseminating over 30 lakh hybrid seedlings, sourced from its scientifically designed polyclonal gardens to farmers across India through Mondelez. As a result, KAU hybrids now dominate approximately 90 per cent of India’s cocoa cultivation area. This achievement has contributed to India boasting the highest cocoa productivity globally, underscoring the effectiveness of KAU’s hybrid development initiatives.

Ensuring the sustained growth and competitiveness of India’s cocoa industry, she said KAU is collaborating with Mondelez to expand its polyclonal gardens to meet the escalating demand for high-quality planting materials.

Published on May 14, 2025