With an investment of 60 million pesos, the Special Fund for Agricultural Development (feda) presented this Monday the Plan to Boost the Industry and Consumption of Chocolate, which aims to agroindustrialization the cocoa Dominican, financing and supporting small and medium manufacturers of chocolategrouped in associations and cooperatives, mainly women, to improve their production and quality.
This was revealed by the entity’s director, Hecmilio Galván, in a meeting with producers of cocoa and chocolate.
“The feda presents to you this plan that aims to take advantage of the positioning of the cultivation of cocoa organic, in which the Dominican Republic is the world’s leading exporter, however, everything goes in the form of grain, thus reducing the producer’s income,” said the official.
Galván indicated that the Dominican Republic exports 80 thousand tons of cocoa organic, but at the same time imports millions of dollars in chocolate.
“If we are number one in the world, why can’t we also be number one in chocolateGalvan specified.
At the meeting, to kick off the National Plan to Promote the Processing of Consumption of Chocolate Dominican, representatives of the women’s associations Esperanza Unidas, Mujeres Unidas para Avanzar, Mujeres Los Naranjo de Castillo, Mujeres La Lisa and María Bertilia Suriel participated.
Also from the Cooperative of Producers of Caco del Este, Factory of Chocolate handmade chocolate, Chocolate of the Altamira Chocal Basin, Chocora Agro Industrial Las Productivas, Cooperative of Producers of Cocoa del Este, Chocolate Industry of Hato Mayor, Entrepreneurs Choco Caribe, Fundigas Fundigas Foundation for Comprehensive Development of Cocoa Growers.
Galván said that through this project he materializes a dream of many years, with which “we value what we produce.”
“Our cocoa It has great value and little effort has been made in the country to industrialize it, being the best cocoa organic from around the world. Let us value what is ours ”, he emphasized, according to data provided in a press release.
He said that this is the first official project to support the chocolate in the country that sows and cultivates the best cocoa organic so it has to be part of the country’s identity. He assured that all the companies that are producing chocolate.
In the event, held at the headquarters of Confenagro, in the Ciudad Ganadera, the official created several commissions that will be in charge of carrying out the project, offering technical assistance, training in productive aspects, marketing, as well as a promotion campaign for encourage mass consumption of chocolate under the motto “it’s time to chocolate in the Dominican Republic”.
Meanwhile, Isidoro de la Rosa, president of Conacado and adviser to the Executive Branch on matters of cocoasaid that this is a stellar moment of the chocolate and that the nation produces the best cocoaof excellent quality, so it is feasible to accelerate the industrialization of the chocolate in all its manufacturing diversity.
“I congratulate the director of the feda for this innovative project, to seek added value to our cocoa organic by supporting entrepreneurs and producers of cocoa“, said.
He added that Conacado has a coverage plan so that the cocoa Dominican imposes itself with its own quality.
Along with the director of fedatechnicians and officials of the agency participated in the act.
