Peru to become top 10 cocoa producer as production and yields g

摘要

As cocoa production increases in Peru on the back of better prices and development efforts that aim to substitute coca production with production of cocoa, yields are also rising and although at a level of around 0.8 tonnes per hectare are as high as2.5 tonnes/ hectare in places, according to a new report on the country.According to a Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report from the US Department of Agriculture, production in Peru was estimated to reach 70,000 tonnes in crop year (CY) 2014, increasing 5 per cent compared to CY 2013. Peruvian cocoa exportswere expected to reach a level of 37,000 tonnes, an increase of 18 per cent compared to the previous year. Higher prices and government development programmes are encouraging production and exports. The main destinations for cocoa exported from Peru areThe Netherlands, Germany and Belgium with 24.6,16.9 and 16.0 per cent respectively of total exports in CY2013, in which Peruvian cocoa exports were valued at US$146 million. They are forecast to increase 20 per cent in CY 2014.