- Ethiopia is working to establish cocoa as a significant export commodity in an effort to equal the economic impact of commodities like rice, rubber, and coffee, according to MIDROC Investment Group.
In collaboration with the Date Agricultural Research Center, the Group has spent the last five years conducting research to determine the viability of cocoa cultivation in Ethiopia.
Speaking to the Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA), MIDROC Investment Group Bebeka Coffee Farm General Manager Beshada Worku said that the findings are promising as cocoa can grow successfully in the country's southwest states.
"Cocoa is a high-demand crop globally. It can become an alternative economic driver, earning foreign exchange on par with coffee and other export commodities," Beshada said.
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So far, more than 54,000 cocoa seedlings have been planted across 50 hectares of land at the Bebeka Coffee Plantation in Bench Sheko Zone, with plans to expand the cultivated area to 200 hectares within two years.
Beshada noted that cocoa's versatility as a raw material for the chocolate, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and confectionery industries makes it a valuable crop. One ton of cocoa currently sells for between 8,000 and 12,000 USD on the international market, potentially bringing in higher returns than coffee.
While cocoa yields per hectare are lower than coffee, the crop begins bearing fruit in just three years faster than coffee seedlings, the General Manager mentioned.
Beshada emphasized that citing global producers like Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Brazil, and Indonesia, despite strong international production, global cocoa demand continues to outstrip supply. This, along with market shifts caused by changing legal systems in some producing countries, opens a strategic opportunity for Ethiopia to enter the global cocoa market.
MIDROC also plans to supply cocoa domestically to a planned chocolate factory, replacing imports and supporting value-added production within Ethiopia, he said.
