FIJI is losing out on a significant opportunity to rake in millions of dollars in export earnings from cocoa, with the current global price at close to $US10,000 ($F22,920) a metric tonne and the local cocoa industry not ready for mass commercial production.
And a call has been made by Nadi-based Cacao Fiji director Arif Khan for the Government to formalize the industry by putting in place proper regulations to govern it.
“If you’re following the market trends, there’s a global shortage of cocoa and this has led to the increase of price,” Mr Khan said in an interview with this newspaper.
“There is a consistent decline in production in the top cocoa producing countries like Ghana and Ivory Coast and this is due to diseases, lack of investment in cocoa over the years and weather changes.
“The global shortage is predicted to be around 500,000 metric tonnes.
“As a result, the world market price has come up 300per cent.
“So what we’re suggesting to the Government is Fiji should really think about cocoa as a commodity to really, really invest in,” Mr Khan said.
He said the industry needed a proper structure.
“We should have a strategic meeting, come up with a strategic plan, create a cocoa board where the cocoa board is looking after the day to day affairs. Otherwise, it’s not going to work.
“If you’re going to do it in a haphazard way without any strategic goals, or KPIs of maybe 5000 farmers in the next two to three years and 2-3 metric tonnes in the next two to three years, we won’t have any growth in the industry.
“So there are some discussions, there are some positive movements, but the other factors I’m talking about in terms of strategic goals and forming a cocoa board, thinking about cocoa on a daily basis like they do for sugar, I don’t think that’s taking place.”
A recent participant at the annual cocoa convention in Amsterdam, Mr Khan said Fiji’s unique branding and positioning can be used to promote Fiji made cocoa products as premium products that can fetch premium prices.
NOTE: This article was first published in the print edition of the Fiji Times dated MARCH 14, 2025.
