Certified Ecuadorian cocoa arrived at 40 destinations, in 2021

Last year, Ecuador managed to certify 331,028.57 tons of cocoa beans for export, worth approximately 758 million dollars; This means an increase of 2% in relation to what was exported in 2020, the year in which an export of 325,208.04 tons of the product was registered.

The verification is done on the grain and its by-products.

This was announced yesterday by the Phytosanitary and Zoosanitary Regulation and Control Agency (Agrocalidad) which, in a report, details that Ecuadorian Technical Standard NTE-INEN 176, reached 81% of the supply corresponding to fine cocoa from aroma with 266,789.23 tons exported and 19% to CCN-51 cocoa with 64,239.34 tons shipped.

Last year, this vegetable product ranked third among the most exported traditional products. According to the Central Bank of Ecuador (BCE), sales in general totaled $940 million. If mining and fishing are taken into account, it ranks fifth.

The certification of cocoa beans for export, explains Agrocalidad, seeks to guarantee the good state of the supply in two important areas: phytosanitary and grain quality, whose standards are verified by technicians from the entity, who review each of the shipments leaving Ecuador for different parts of the world. Last year they added 40 different world destinations, of which the most prominent were the United States, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Mexico, Belgium, Italy and Germany.

In the last 5 years, the authority points out, there has been a sustained growth in shipments of Ecuadorian cocoa, which has led to 3,567 inspections being carried out nationwide last year.

Cocoa is exported in different presentations as a vegetable product and also through by-products. As well as an important part of the offer there is also oil, blocks, tablets or unfilled bars; husk, husk and film; chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa, cocoa discs; fruit; ornamental cocoa; grain, broken grain; cocoa juice; cocoa liquor; cocoa butter; cocoa nibs; pasta; frozen pulp and cocoa powder.

At the end of last year, the sector registered 14,433 operators of this product, who carry out different activities in the production chain destined for export, where the agency carries out post-registration controls, phytosanitary and quality inspections to issue the certifications required by the purchasing countries.