Creating New Cacao Markets to Achieve Sustainable Cacao Production

Created on 1st September 2021

Conference: The Asian Undergraduate Research Symposium (AURS2021)
Title: Creating New Cacao Markets to Achieve Sustainable Cacao Production
Stream: Sociology. Social Work and Social Concerns
Presentation Type: Virtual Poster Presentation
Authors:
Mana Kohno, Ritsumeikan University, Japan

Abstract:

While cacao is grown as a cash crop in many cacao-producing countries, it is not domestically consumed in many cases. Ivory Coast, the world’s largest producer, for example, produced 2.22 million tons of cacao beans as of 2019. The domestic consumption volume was, however, very little. Furthermore, the number of cacao farmers is decreasing year by year, and they are in a serious situation with no successors.Cacao grows in the hot and humid tropics. It melts easily when processed into chocolate. Therefore, it needs to be kept refrigerated, which costs a large amount of money. Helping farmers become self-reliant and increase domestic and international consumption is vital to ensure a stable supply of cacao production. If a processing method suits to the local climate with less cost, new markets both locally and globally will be developed. If farmers can prevent exploitation by middlemen and earn adequate wages by producing processed cacao products using cacao grown by themselves, problems such as education of children and appropriate employment for women will be solved. That will eventually help to eliminate the loss of cacao farmers.
In this study, Indonesia, one of the largest producers of cacao in the world, was taken as a leading model country which promotes sustainable cacao production. This presentation reports the results of the study, which examined possibilities of developing value-added cacao products focusing on the physiological functions of cacao, and processed cacao products compatible with local food preferences.