More consignments of drinking chocolate (an instant chocolate drink) manufactured by the Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Society Ltd. (Campco) will reach Africa in 2013-14 as the society has received a new export order, according to its managing director M. Suresh Bhandary.
He told The Hindu that the society was exporting 700 tonnes of drinking chocolate, manufactured at its chocolate factory at Puttur, to African countries over the last four years. Now the society has received export orders for the same product from a new distributor in Africa, he said.
Mr. Bhandary said the new distributor this month has placed orders for five containers (a container contains 13 tonnes of drinking chocolate) which were being exported. As there was enough demand for the product in African countries the society was expecting an annual demand for 700 tonnes from the new distributor in the next financial year. Thus the society’s export of drinking chocolate to African countries was likely to double to reach 1,400 tonnes in 2013-14, he said.
The Campco has been selling its drinking chocolate under the brand name “winner” in the domestic market. But in African countries it is being sold by its distributors in a different brand name, he said.
The managing director said the society had been exporting different varieties of chocolates to Nepal since 2011. As there is good demand for the chocolates, exports to Nepal was likely to touch to 15,000 tonnes in the next financial year.
He said the demand for éclairs in the market was coming down and chocolate bars were filling up the void. The bars manufactured by Campco, a multi-state cooperative society of farmers of Karnataka and Kerala, are available for a price ranging from Rs. 2 to Rs. 20.
Cocoa bean prices up
The CAMPCO has increased the procurement price of wet beans from Rs. 35 a kg last month to Rs. 38 a kg in the second week of this month.
The procurement price of dry beans has been increased from Rs. 125 a kg in January to Rs. 135-138 a kg this month.
Its managing director M. Suresh Bhandary said the total procurement cost of the beans to the society stood at Rs. 150 a kg when it reached its chocolate factory.
The next first arrival season would commence in May and would last till August.
The second arrival season would be between November and January.
