Managua, Nicaragua; April 25, 2018
PRONicaragua, the official investment promotion agency, recently participated in one of the most important cocoa promotion events: the World Cocoa Conference from April 22-25, in Berlin, Germany.
The agency’s participation in the event was aimed at generating key business contacts and promoting the opportunities Nicaragua offers for export-oriented food production and processing operations.
The Conference gathered more than 1,500 participants from 64 countries around the world including investment promotion agencies, chocolate manufacturers, commercial companies, cocoa growers, logistics, financing and insurance companies, as well as agricultural input and technology suppliers.
The Nicaraguan Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA by its Spanish acronym), recently inaugurated a cocoa-specialized technology development center in the municipality of El Rama, Southern Caribbean Autonomous Region (RACCS). The center comprises laboratories for the production of bio-inputs and to diagnose diseases in the plantations.
Nicaragua joined the International Cocoa Organization’s (ICCO) list of fine cocoa producing countries in September 2015. Genetically, Nicaragua’s cocoa is the Trinitarian type, which with proper fermentation is the preferred raw material for fine and dark chocolates. According to data from the Association of Producers and Exporters of Nicaragua (APEN by its Spanish acronym), the country produces around 5,000 tons of cocoa annually with exports reach US$7 million.
