Salvadoran cocoa dazzled the Spanish in colonial times and many years later, the chocolate produced in El Salvador continues to be one of the favorites in Europe and other parts of the world.

The executive director of Alianza Cacao, Jairo Andrade, reported that El Salvador began to send cocoa to important countries such as France, one of the largest consumers of chocolate.

In this scenario, the bet of the producers is to continue increasing production to reach more markets.

Andrade added that only in 2022, the sector reported a production of around 1,000 metric tons, of which almost 8,000 were from producers belonging to Alianza Cacao. For this year, the union anticipates that 1,000 more metric tons of cocoa will be produced.

“The outlook for this year is that there is a great demand for cocoa in the domestic market, but the quality of the cocoa is conducive to competing in the international market, where demand is being generated,” he said.

The executive commented that, currently, the sector is optimistic because the country’s advantage is that the plantations are young, which means that year after year the quantity of cocoa produced and its quality increase.

Likewise, the union explained that the cocoa sector generates around 10,000 direct and indirect jobs and is produced in 10 of the 14 departments of the country. Cultivation can take place at 1,200 meters above sea level, or even lower.

On the other hand, he indicated that this year the sector will continue promoting cocoa exports to France and Italy, while exploring the entry into new international markets.

According to the database of the Central Reserve Bank (BCR), El Salvador exported around $669,713.4 in cocoa between 2019 and 2022 to countries such as the United States, Costa Rica, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan.