Starting in September, Decree No. 462 will come into force, addressing the Executive Commission’s innovation policy of the Cocoa Crop Plan (Ceplac).
The goal is to innovate for the benefit of cocoa through the development of technologies, products, processes, and services.
According to the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), Brazil currently ranks 6th in the world in cocoa production.
According to the 2017 agricultural census, there are more than 93,000 cocoa-producing farms in the country.
They are concentrated in the states of Bahia and Pará, which account for 96% of national production.
The director of Ceplac, Waldeck Araújo, explains that the policy will enable the search for resources for cocoa research and innovation and the presentation of projects to national and international bodies.
In addition to research and innovation, one of the priorities is to promote the mechanization of the post-harvest cocoa industry.
According to the Commission, Brazil is the only country that covers the entire cocoa chain in its territory, from production to consumer chocolate, including cosmetics production.
There are three phases of industrialization: after the harvest, when the fruit is harvested and opened, the seeds are removed, the pulp is extracted, the seeds are fermented, and the beans are dried and stored to be processed into cocoa butter, liquor, or powder.
Then comes the chocolate industry, which buys these derivatives and produces chocolate, cosmetics, and other products.
EXPANSION OF COCOA CULTIVATION
The goal is to reach self-sufficiency with 300,000 tons of cocoa per year by 2025 and 400,000 tons by 2030, expanding cocoa, derivatives, and chocolate exports. These values can lift Brazil to third place among the world’s largest cocoa producers.
The country also holds another title, that of the world’s largest active bank of cocoa genetic material, with over 60,000 plants in the field, whose genetic material has been collected in its seed and clonal forms in 12 botanical expeditions covering about 30% of the Amazon basin.
In this challenge to prepare research and innovation in the genetic improvement of the cacao tree, more than four thousand different cacao genotypes are currently available. This entire heritage is housed in the cacao research centers managed by Ceplac in Bahia, Pará, and Rondônia.
According to Ceplac, it will be in the traditional growing regions of Pará and Bahia, which account for 96% of national production, with higher-yielding varieties that are more resistant to pests, including moniliasis.
And it will continue in new areas such as the Cerrado biome, Caatinga: Bahia, Ceará, Sergipe, Roraima, Amapá, São Paulo, and Minas Gerais.