Campco expands cocoa procurement network to AP

The Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative (Campco) Ltd has extended its cocoa procurement network to Andhra Pradesh.

The cooperative opened a cocoa procurement centre at Elur in West Godavari district recently.

Suresh Bhandary, Managing Director of Campco, told Business Line that farmers in some districts of Andhra Pradesh grow cocoa as an intercrop in palm and coconut plantations.

The cooperative has signed an agreement with the Pedavegi Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS) in West Godavari district to purchase cocoa from farmers in the region. Based on the potential in the State, Campco may think of opening cocoa purchase centre in East Godavari district also.

The cooperative gives first preference to buy cocoa through PACS. If PACS are not there, then it may have to think about opening its own branch, he said.

The cooperative requires cocoa for its chocolate manufacturing unit at Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district. Karnataka and Kerala contribute a major share to Campco’s requirement.

The annual production of cocoa in Andhra Pradesh is estimated at around 4,000 tonnes, he said, adding that the cooperative had purchased around 1,200 tonnes of cocoa through private traders in the last season.

Campco had purchased around 2,600 tonnes of cocoa from Karnataka and Kerala in the last season.

The country produces around 12,000 tonnes of cocoa every year. Though Andhra Pradesh is contributing to the production now, the availability is coming down from regions such as Kerala, he added.

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