Focus on challenges in cocoa cultivation Scientists, officials, and farmers from various States brought together

A stakeholder conference on cocoa cultivation, organised by the Directorate of Cashew Nut and Cocoa Development (DCCD) under the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Kochi, in collaboration with the Andhra Pradesh Horticulture Department, took place at Hotel Park N in Vijayawada on Wednesday. The event brought together scientists, officials, and farmers from various States, as well as marketing agencies and other stakeholders, to address the challenges in cocoa cultivation and explore ways to improve yields and farmer incomes.
The discussions focused on issues throughout the cocoa cultivation process, from seed to sale, including the production of quality plants (hybrids and clones), supply challenges, quality bean production, value addition, post-harvest management, and integrated strategies for cocoa development. The brainstorming sessions aimed to develop a comprehensive approach to address these challenges. Andhra Pradesh Horticulture Department Director Dr K Srinivasulu highlighted the efforts being made in the State, such as the establishment of a cocoa clonal orchard in Vijayarai under Dr YSR Horticulture University to produce high-quality plants.
He emphasised the department’s collaboration with the university for cocoa cultivation and outlined the financial assistance being provided to farmers for expanding it, setting up cocoa powder-based industries, and establishing fermentation pack houses for chocolate production. He also noted that Andhra Pradesh is a leading State in cocoa production, yielding 12,135 metric tonnes of dry beans annually across 30,552 hectares. He said key districts for cocoa cultivation include Eluru, East Godavari, West Godavari, Srikakulam, Konaseema, Kakinada, Krishna, and Parvathipuram Manyam, of which the Eluru district ranks first in both area and productivity.
Dr Srinivasulu highlighted the potential for expanding cocoa cultivation through intercropping with coconut and oil palm plantations, aiming to increase Cocoa cultivation by 5,000 hectares each year. He pointed out that the quality of cocoa beans produced in Andhra Pradesh matches the best Ghanaian beans. He said that intercropping provides farmers with an additional income of Rs. 75,000 while enhancing the productivity of the main crop. The conference underscored the need to improve farmers’ skills, support the production of high-quality beans, and conduct extension programmes tailored to cocoa cultivation.
A valuable discussion on these topics took place, guided by DCCD Director Dr. Femina.
The event was attended by Horticulture Department Additional Directors M Venkateshwarlu, Balaji Nayak, Harinath Reddy, Assistant Coordinators Sudha, ICAR Scientist Dr S Elaine Afsara, Dr YSRHU Research Director Dr M Madhavi, Mandlege India Foods Private Limited Cocoa Operations Manager Rajesh Ramachandran, Campco Limited (Mangalore) MD Dr BV Satyanarayana, Cocoa Treat (Chennai) Nitin Chordia, and NTR District Horticulture Officer Dr P Balaji Kumar, among others.