MELAKA: Malaysia recorded RM18bil in export value for cocoa beans and cocoa-based products last year, reinforcing its position as a global leader in cocoa processing.
The total marks a significant rise from the RM15bil recorded in 2024, highlighting the sector’s steady growth trajectory, said Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad.
She said the increase indicates a significant opportunity in the production of chocolate, food ingredients and various downstream products with high market value.
Malaysia is one of the world’s leading countries in cocoa bean processing and grinding activities, but a large portion of the raw material supply for the industry is still imported, Noraini said.
“That’s why the ministry wants to strengthen the entire cocoa industry, starting from the farmers who grow cocoa to the entrepreneurs who produce products for the local and international markets,” she said at the launch of “A Malaysian Cocoa Affair 2026” programme, themed “Sense, Savour and Celebrate”, here yesterday, Bernama reported.
She said the ministry is focusing on three main priorities, namely increasing local cocoa production and smallholder income, strengthening cocoa source traceability and developing more high-value products.
Through the Malaysian Cocoa Board, Noraini said efforts continue to be made to encourage group planting, rehabilitate less productive farms, and provide planting materials from high-quality cocoa clones and incentives to smallholders.
“We do not want the industry to develop only at the processing level, while local farmers do not receive the appropriate benefits.
“For this reason, the ministry is also strengthening the National Cocoa Traceability System to identify the origin of cocoa and record its movement from the plantation to the processing stage.”
This step, she said, is important to meet the needs of the international market, including the European Union Deforestation Regulation, as well as to enhance buyers’ confidence in Malaysian cocoa products.
