Malaysia needs about 3,200 tonnes of dry cocoa bean production per year to meet its domestic demand, said the country’s Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
Currently, its domestic cocoa production is far from meeting the domestic demand. In 2022, Malaysia produced 493 tonnes of dry cocoa beans. The increase in demand is attributed to an increase in number of companies producing chocolate products in the country.
Fadillah said, “Our chocolatiers have increased but our cocoa supply is lacking. Most of the supply has to be imported from African countries.”
The domestic cocoa industry can be further developed and the government is now encouraging cocoa cultivation at the community level including in villages. Presently, the country’s cocoa plantation area stands at only 5,985 hectares and 25% of the cultivation area is in Sarawak.
