MELAKA: Malaysia needs to boost local cocoa bean production to reduce reliance on imports, as the processing industry depends heavily on foreign supplies.
Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad said stronger local production was needed to strengthen the cocoa supply chain and ensure growers benefited from the industry's expansion.
She said Malaysia's exports of cocoa beans and cocoa-based products rose from RM15.06 billion in 2024 to RM18.33 billion last year, highlighting the industry's growth potential.
However, growth in cocoa processing needed to be matched by higher local bean production so growers could also benefit, she said when opening A Malaysian Cocoa Affair 2026, organised by the Malaysian Cocoa Board (MCB) at a shopping centre in Banda Hilir today.
Also present were Plantation and Commodities Ministry secretary-general Datuk Yusran Shah Mohd Yusof and MCB director-general Shari Fuddin Sha'ari.
The ministry is focusing on increasing local production and smallholders' incomes through group planting, rehabilitating less productive farms and providing planting materials from high-quality cocoa clones.
"We do not want the industry to grow only at the processing level while local growers fail to receive their fair share of the benefits," Noraini said.
The ministry is also strengthening the National Cocoa Traceability System to identify the origin of cocoa beans and record their movement from farms to processing facilities.
Noraini said this was important to ensure Malaysian cocoa products met international market requirements, including the European Union Deforestation Regulation.
More than RM40 million was allocated under 2027 Budget to support the development of high-value cocoa products using modern technology, including premium chocolate made through the bean-to-bar method, she said.
Malaysia also aims to develop more local chocolate brands capable of entering international markets.
Noraini encouraged more young people to enter the cocoa industry, including in chocolate making, product design, marketing, research and entrepreneurship, to strengthen the sector's future.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd