International Panorama of Cocoa and Chocolate in the current economic climate
In order to boost Colombian cocoa and chocolate exports and position it as one of the strategic sectors in the revival of the Colombian economy, FEDECACAO together with SIPPO organized the seminar "International Panorama of Cocoa and Chocolate in the current economic climate"
With the purpose of promoting exports of Colombian cocoa and chocolate and positioning it as one of the strategic sectors in the revival of the Colombian economy, the seminar "International Panorama of Cocoa and Chocolate in the current situation" was organized jointly by the National Federation of Cocoa Growers FEDECACAO and the Swiss Import Promotion Program SIPPO, which supports the internationalization of Colombian cocoa and chocolate.
The seminar addressed the following topics:
- The impact of the current situation on Colombian cocoa and chocolate exports and the #ElChocolateNosUne campaign by the President of FEDECACAO, Dr Eduard Baquero.
- SIPPO and support for the internationalization of Colombian cocoa and chocolate, by Mary Amalia Vásquez, Country Representative of SIPPO Colombia
- The international panorama of cocoa and chocolate in the current situation and trends after COVID 19, by Gustavo Ferro Ferro, external consultant SIPPO
The interventions highlighted the economic and social impact of a sector that benefits 65,000 cocoa families in the country and that generates 157,000 direct and indirect jobs, with presence in 27 departments of the country and 422 municipalities. A sector that also builds peace, since, of the 176,000 hectares planted, 25,000 have replaced illicit crops and incorporated former actors of the armed conflict who exchanged weapons for cocoa and who today sow hope in the Colombian fields.
The high potential of Colombian cocoa is based on international recognition as a special fine cocoa with flavor and aroma granted by the International Cocoa Organization (ratified in the ICCO committee of 2019) and on articulated work being carried out by public entities, private, academia and international cooperation under the so-called National Strategy for the Cocoa Chain. This process has been facilitated by the more Competitive Colombia C + C program financed by the Swiss Embassy and implemented by Swisscontact and led by the Presidency of the Republic with the participation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism and its affiliated entities ProColombia, Colombia Productiva and the National Institute of Metrology; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Agrosavia, among others.
The effective insertion in international markets will require a solid Export Strategy that contemplates improvements in productivity, competitiveness and an international promotion that manages to position cocoa before the world, taking advantage of its characteristics of fine cocoa and aroma. Given the current situation, the outlook has changed significantly for the sector and offers new opportunities that must be exploited. The development of this last topic was addressed by the external SIPPO expert, Gustavo Ferro.
All presentations and full recording of the event can be found here