Asia’s Top Chocolate Producers Can’t Meet the Growing Demand
- Bean output has dwindled in the region as consumption rises
- Processors are having to increase imports to meet demand
Chocolate pours into a bowl while being processed.
Photographer: Hannah Reyes Morales/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Demand from Asia’s growing legions of chocoholics has outpaced the ability of local farmers to supply cocoa beans, prompting a surge of shipments into the region from Africa and South America.
Indonesia, the top producer and processor in the area, imported about 240,000 metric tons of beans last year, a record, and may buy more in 2019, said Piter Jasman, chairman of the country’s Cocoa Industry Association. Malaysia boosted shipments 10% to 345,000 tons last year, cocoa board data show.