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Indian Organic Farmers Producers Company Ltd (IOFPCL) and the Switzerland-based Chocolate Stella are exploring new areas in the cocoa sector, including value-addition, and export of organic and conventional cocoa on long-term basis.
IOFPCL has been doing business with Chocolate Stella since 2009, an end user of cocoa, in the global market. The company makes dark chocolate directly out of cocoa produced by farmers in Kerala, signifying the presence of Indian cocoa in the global market.
Mr Antony Panakal, Business Development Manager of Chocolate Stella, said that there is a potential interest for dark chocolate in the world market and consequently, there will be demand for superior quality cocoa from IOFPCL. The company had started imparting training to farmers in India and there are about 5,000 farmers involved in the activities of IOFPCL, which is expected to increase to 10,000 in the current financial year.
Timely intervention
The lead farmers from Kerala were trained in Switzerland on quality improvement aspects of cocoa and chocolates. The intervention of IOFPCL enhanced the price of cocoa from Rs 16 to Rs 50 a kg. Mr Antony, who was here to support the export activities of organic and fair trade products of IOFPCL with member farmer groups in various parts of the State, said that the Indian single origin chocolate introduced by Chocolate Stella in the International Confectionary Fair at Cologne in Germany had received encouraging response.
Seeking more participation from farmers in the activities of IOFPCL, he said that the intervention of IOFPCL could provide better farm gate price to the farmers, reduce involvement of intermediaries in the value chain and facilitate presence of India in the international cocoa market. The intervention of IOFPCL is able to link the Indian cocoa farmers with the end user of cocoa in Switzerland, he added.
Exports
Mr K.J. Thomas, Managing Director, said that IOFPCL had so far exported 60 tonnes of organic cocoa, three tonnes of organic vanilla, 16 tonnes of organic coffee, 22 tonnes of organic coconut oil, 100 tonnes of organic pepper to Switzerland, the US and Germany. The company is expecting 100 per cent growth during the current financial year.
India is in deficit of 10,000 tonnes of cocoa and the demand is increasing in the world due to various reasons.
A comprehensive policy by the Government for promotion of cocoa industry is essential including creation of a crop-specific autonomous institution with full mandate for its sustainable growth, he said.
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