The Malaysian Cocoa Board (MCB) reported a new high in Malaysia’s exports of cocoa and chocolate products, which reached circa USD 1.57 bn in 2021, up from circa USD 950 m in 2010. This figure represents the combined total for the exports of cocoa beans, cocoa shells and husks (raw & roasted), cocoa paste, cocoa butter, cocoa powder and chocolate.

At the Sabah Cocoa Festival 2022, MCB’s director-general Dr Ramle Kasin said he believes the rise is partly due to the increase in chocolate consumption in Asia-Pacific countries. In the period between 2010 and 2021, the per capita chocolate consumption rate across Asia-Pacific nations rose from 0.15 kg/a to 0.2 kg/a (Europe: circa 5 kg/a).

Dr Kasin said he anticipated new growth for the cocoa industry, as the Cocoa festival would promote locally produced chocolate and encourage the expansion of the domestic marketing network. As a result, the market size and variety of cocoa products available are expected to increase, alongside the revenue generated from the sector.