Local cocoa production needs boost to cut import reliance
MELAKA: Malaysia needs to boost local cocoa bean production to reduce reliance on imports, as the processing industry depends heavily on foreign supplies.
Malaysia must increase local cocoa bean production to lessen its dependence on imported beans, as the country's processing industry currently relies heavily on foreign supplies, according to Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad. Speaking at the opening of the Malaysian Cocoa Affair 2026, Noraini emphasized the need for stronger local production to fortify the cocoa supply chain and ensure that growers reap the rewards of the industry's expansion.
She noted that Malaysia's exports of cocoa beans and cocoa-based products surged from RM15.06 billion in 2024 to RM18.33 billion in the previous year, underscoring the industry's growth prospects. However, growth in cocoa processing must be paralleled by higher local bean production to benefit growers as well, she stressed. The Ministry is concentrating on boosting local production and smallholder incomes through collective planting, rehabilitating less productive farms, and providing superior cocoa clones as planting materials.
Noraini stressed that the goal is not to let the industry expand solely at the processing level, with local growers not sharing in the benefits. She also highlighted the Ministry's efforts to strengthen the National Cocoa Traceability System to verify the origin of cocoa beans and monitor their transit from farms to processing facilities.
This step is crucial to ensure that Malaysian cocoa products comply with international market standards, such as the European Union Deforestation Regulation. The Ministry allocated more than RM40 million in the 2027 Budget to support the development of high-value cocoa products, utilizing modern technology like the bean-to-bar method for premium chocolate production.
Malaysia aims to cultivate more local chocolate brands that can penetrate international markets. Noraini urged more young individuals to join the cocoa industry, including in chocolate making, product design, marketing, research, and entrepreneurship, to fortify the sector's future.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
