Chan (fourth from right) being briefed about the artistic display that depicts Mount Kinabalu using chocolate candies.
KOTA KINABALU (Jan 20): Malaysia wants to reclaim its position as the key producer of cocoa beans in Asia, said Deputy Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin.
He said Malaysia used to have 247,000 hectares of land planted with cocoa, and over the years, it has declined to 6,000 hectares planted with the commodity.
Malaysia also only produces 5,000 tonnes cocoa beans per annum.
“We have the potential to revive this. And the good news is that the timing is right as the price of cocoa is now at RM4,600 per tonne,” he said.
Chan said that the increase in price produced tension for the Malaysian cocoa grinding and manufacturing industry, which are faced with the problem of sourcing the cocoa beans.
“If they continue to rely on imported cocoa beans, the supply chain of Malaysia’s cocoa industry will not be resilient. If the production of cocoa beans decrease, we will have problem sourcing for it. We want to place Malaysia as the hub for cocoa in Asia,” said Chan, adding 60 percent of the nation’s cocoa production comes from Sabah.
Chan also mentioned that Malaysia has a strong downstream industry, and now, the focus is to grow her upstream industry.
“We are encouraging smallholders to continue planting the commodity while also encouraging the big oil palm plantations to diversify and not focus on single crop.
He said those interested to plant cocoa can contact the Malaysia Cocoa Board (MCB).
Chan also said that about 90 percent of cocoa beans in Malaysia are imported.
“As a matter of fact, Malaysia is the fifth (cocoa) grinder in the world. We purchase cocoa beans from everywhere, especially from west African countries (such as Ghana and Ivory Coast), and we grind and then re-sell them. Our value of export and import is the same, but of course, we also have a lot of chocolate factories here but we need to look at the bigger picture. The ministry’s goal is to focus on the upstream now. We need to encourage more production from the upstream,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sabah has many chocolate producers. In Kota Kinabalu alone, there are over 10 chocolate factories.
Chan said that there are many single origin chocolates in Sabah, and chocolates produced from each districts are different from each other.
He also said that cocoa production dropped over the years as planters switched to planting other crops such as oil palm or durians.
Also attributing to the drop in the commodity is market price as well as the lack of knowledge in controlling disease, he said.
“However, the MCB has improved its research and development. They found ways to overcome the disease,” he said.
He urged former cocoa planters who have lost confidence in the crop to consider planting it again.
Meanwhile, the MCB is organising the Malaysian International Cocoa Fair (MICF) 2025 from May 24 to 27 at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) in Kota Kinabalu.
Chan, who is Kota Kinabalu member of parliament, said this will be the first time the fair is held outside of Kuala Lumpur since Sabah is a major contributor to the country’s cocoa production, accounting for 60 percent of the country’s total cocoa output.
“MICF 2025 serves as a crucial platform to discuss key issues and opportunities in the global cocoa industry, including the production of premium cocoa beans and Malaysia’s involvement in cocoa processing from bean to bar chocolate manufacturing. The ministry fully supports MICF 2025 as an international event that solidified collaboration with international bodies and agencies like the International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO), Cocoa Association of Asia (CAA) and ASEAN Cocoa Club (ACC).”
The MICF 2025 will feature three main events: the Malaysian International Cocoa Conference, the Malaysian International Cocoa Exhibtiion and the Malaysian International Cocoa Dinner.
The theme for MICF 2025 is “MyCocoa Delight: Indulge, Meet and Connect.”
More than 1,000 participants are expected for the conference as well as 25,000 trade and public visitors.
The MICF 2025 shall include programmes such as the International Cocoa Business Matching (ICBM), cocoa business matching, forums, paper presentations and post-event field visits.
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