VietNamNet Bridge – Being a small cocoa producer, Vietnam still nourishes the hope of selling cocoa worldwide.

Never before has Vietnam seen so many foreign invested projects in cocoa production like now. The “big guys” in the world now eye Vietnam as the newly emerging material area.

Vietnam once followed the one-century path to become the world’s biggest coffee grower. Will the same thing repeat with cocoa?

Great opportunities have come

The big guys have every reason to pay attention to Vietnam. A report of the US Mars Incorporated showed that 160,000 tons of cocoa lacked worldwide in 2013, while the figure may rise to 1 million tons by 2020. Cocoa would become increasingly valuable because of both the sharp falls in the cocoa output from Ghana or Ivory Coast, Indonesia and the higher demand.

India, China and Indonesia alone provide 2.8 billion consumers, each of them needs 0.06 kilos per annum. Meanwhile, every Japanese consumes 1.8 kilos per annum.

While Asia is believed to become the biggest chocolate market in the near future, Vietnam is believed to be the potential cocoa supplier in the region.

Vietnam’s current exports remain modest, just several thousands of tons a year. However, Vietnam’s cocoa quality is in no way inferior to any other supply sources. Cocoa collectors like Vietnam’s cocoa most in Asia because the material is very good to make chocolate.

Puratos Grand-Palace Vietnam has recently received award for the best cocoa in Asia Pacific in Paris, which was made of the cocoa beans grown in the southern province of Ben Tre.

Cargill, Puratos Grand Place and others have come to Vietnam to collect cocoa, where they triggered a stiff competition to dominate the market.

Mars has set up a cocoa development center in Cu Hue commune of Ea Kar district in Dak Lak province. Cargill has a collection center in Hoa Thuan commune of Buon Ma Thuot city. Puratos Grand Place Vietnam is running a factory that preliminarily treats cocoa materials.

The Dutch government recently has funded the private – public partnership (PPP) cocoa sustainable development project in Vietnam. Helvetas, Oxfam, JICA, AID all have also given support to cocoa projects.

Vietnam itself is a large market. It is estimated that it consumes 5,250 tons of chocolate every year, most of which has been fed by the imports.

How to turn dream into reality?

About 4,000 tons of dry cocoa is made out every year. Meanwhile, a cocoa processing plant has the capacity of 10,000 tons per annum at minimum.

Vietnam moves ahead with the projects on developing the cocoa growing areas. Huynh Quoc Thich, Deputy Director of the Dak Lak provincial agriculture department said competent agencies have been very demanding in quality from the very beginning when kicking off cocoa growing projects.

More than 50 percent of Vietnam’s cocoa has got UTZ quality certificates.

Dinh Hai Lam, Vietnam Cocoa Development Director said nearly 100 percent of Vietnam’s cocoa can satisfy the requirements.

Nguyen Ba Dung, technique advisor from the said PPP project, confirmed that Vietnam’s cocoa has been highly valuated in terms of quality.

The agriculture ministry plans to develop 33,500 hectares of cocoa growing area by 2015 and obtain $70 million worth in cocoa export turnover a year.

Duy Anh