KOTA KINABALU: Like many farmers, 62-year-old Poimon Dangkat from Kota Marudu has been affected by rising fertiliser costs following the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change.
The challenges caused Poimon and his wife's cocoa production on their two-hectare farm to drop from four metric tonnes per year to less than half.
However, the couple persevered, continuing to produce their award-winning cocoa products for the international market.
In 2021, Poimon won the Asia Pacific Cocoa Excellence Award in Italy. His cocoa beans are celebrated for their distinctive fruity notes of citrus and tropical flavours, paired with gentle, low acidity.
Today, Deputy Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin launched the "Single Estate Kota Marudu Chocolate," made from 68 per cent Kota Marudu dark chocolate.
"The ministry lauds the efforts of local chocolatiers producing fine-quality, single-source beans, which align with our goal of positioning Malaysia as a producer of premium cocoa beans and chocolate products," Chan said at the launch held at a factory in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.
He said the initiative, supported by the Malaysian Cocoa Board, aims to establish a supply network connecting cocoa bean producers with end users.
"I strongly encourage the continued expansion of this endeavour to further strengthen the development of the national cocoa industry, particularly through greater private sector involvement," said Chan, who is also the Kota Kinabalu member of parliament.
Chan said the rising interest in cocoa industry among farmers and plantations as cocoa bean prices have surged to between RM18 and RM23 per kg.
He said the cocoa industry made a substantial contribution to the national GDP, with export revenue from January to August 2024 reaching RM8.873 billion, representing 98 per cent of the RM9 billion target for the year.
Semi-finished cocoa products such as cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and chocolate are key contributors to this achievement.
"The ministry, through the Malaysian Cocoa Board, is committed to increasing local bean production through cocoa farm revitalisation programmes and new cocoa planting initiatives," he said.