Mangaluru: With domestic demand for cocoa far exceeding production, agricultural experts and industry leaders met at the ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) regional station in Vittal on Monday, to chart a roadmap for achieving self-reliance in the sector by 2047.ICAR-CPCRI director KB Hebbar said India currently produces around 30,000 tonnes of cocoa against a domestic demand of nearly 1.1 lakh tonnes. To achieve the national production target of two lakh tonnes by 2040, he stressed the need to expand cultivation using quality planting material. Cocoa is also being studied as a viable intercrop in arecanut, coconut and oil palm plantations across different agro-ecological regions, he said.Former ICAR deputy director general (horticultural science) NK Krishna Kumar said disruptions in African supply chains had created an opportunity for India to expand cocoa production and exports. However, he cautioned that poor packaging and chocolate formulations containing high levels of sugar but low cocoa butter content were driving Indian consumers towards foreign brands.SR Sathishchandra, president of Campco Ltd, said agricultural research and technology must reach farmers’ fields to have a meaningful impact.Participating virtually, ICAR assistant director general (horticulture) VB Patel urged private and public nurseries to follow the standard operating procedures developed by ICAR-CPCRI for producing quality planting material. He also stressed the need to focus on cocoa quality and called for the development of SOPs for post-harvest processing.Femina, director of the Directorate of Cashewnut and Cocoa Development, highlighted the shortage of quality planting material. She said that bringing an additional one lakh hectares under cocoa cultivation would require the establishment of around 50 hectares of polyclonal seed gardens in a phased manner.S Suryakumari, director of research at Dr YSR Horticultural University, Andhra Pradesh, spoke about the status of cocoa cultivation in the state, and the university’s efforts to promote cocoa as a profitable intercrop in palm-based farming systems.A multi-stakeholder panel discussion was chaired by P Chowdappa, who said that Andhra Pradesh accounted for around 40% of India’s cocoa production and was developing a ‘cocoa city’ in Eluru. He urged farmers to adopt scientific field and post-harvest management practices to improve both yield and bean quality.As part of the programme, the dignitaries launched the ‘Kalpa Smart Pole’, designed for the targeted application of agrochemicals and bioagents. An extension folder on climate-resilient pest management was also released. The event also featured the ceremonial planting of Criollo cocoa and tissue-cultured dwarf arecanut plants, marking ICAR-CPCRI’s first 100 plant field trial of its kind.Global research projectHebbar said a global research project had been initiated to examine whether arecanut consumption causes cancer in humans. The study involves 16 national and state-level institutions, including AIIMS, IISc and CFTRI, and is expected to provide findings within the next one to two years.
