Salvadoran cocoa exports hit a 30-year record, amassing over $3.8 million in the first half of 2024, according to the Central Reserve Bank of El Salvador (BCR). This represents a significant 20.8% increase compared to the $3.1 million generated during the same period in 2023. The bank also noted that these earnings are the highest recorded since 1994.

Despite historically low production due to the expansion of other crops like sugarcane and basic grains, El Salvador has maintained cocoa exports for the past three decades. If current trends continue, the country is on track to close 2024 with growth in cocoa exports, following a 1.6% decline at the end of 2023. Last year, Salvadoran producers exported 2.44 million kilograms of cocoa and related products, valued at $6.17 million.

In 2023, each kilogram was sold at an average price of $2.52. However, in the first half of 2024, this price saw a 6.7% improvement, rising to $2.69 per kilogram.

The United States emerged as the primary buyer, purchasing over $1.66 million worth of Salvadoran cocoa, accounting for 43% of the total exports during the first half of 2024.

The revitalization of cocoa cultivation began in 2014 with the launch of the Alliance Cocoa program. Initially, only 800 acres were identified as cocoa plantations. Today, the program reports that 2,050 families are producing cocoa on more than 3,405 hectares of Agroforestry Systems (SAF), which also include fruit trees, coffee, and vegetables.

Alliance Cocoa expects to surpass the 1,500 metric tons of cocoa production in 2024, an increase from the 1,200 metric tons produced in 2023. This initiative aims to position Salvadoran cocoa in gourmet markets rather than compete in high-volume production. Currently, 31 European chocolate makers source their cocoa from local Salvadoran farms.

El Salvador exports cocoa primarily to Italy and France, where it is distributed to five additional European markets: Switzerland, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, and Turkey.