MELAKA, Oct 17 — Sarawak could strengthen the country’s cocoa industry by expanding cultivation areas and producing higher-value chocolate products, helping narrow the supply gap in dried cocoa beans, which currently relies heavily on imports, over the next two to three years.
Malaysian Cocoa Board acting director-general Shari Fuddin Sha’ari said expanding cocoa cultivation in Sarawak, alongside Sabah, the country’s main cocoa-producing state, could increase local raw material supplies once newly planted trees begin bearing fruit.
He said the industry’s expansion should also be matched by stronger downstream activities so farmers don’t have to rely solely on selling dried cocoa beans and can process them into higher-value chocolate products.
