Cocoa comeback: Venezuela’s export growth hits record high
Venezuela’s cocoa industry is enjoying a remarkable upswing – exports soared by 111 per cent in 2025 compared with the previous year, Minister of Productive Agriculture and Land Julio Leon Eredia said, TV BRICS reports.
The minister credited the boom to the government’s Production, Supply, and Export (PAE) program, which has expanded cultivation areas and encouraged farmers to scale up production.
The momentum has carried into 2026with 14 export shipments already completed in the first weeks of the year. To sustain growth, Venezuela is working to revitalize three cocoa processing plants in Sucre and Miranda, aiming to boost capacity and improve quality standards.
Last year, Venezuela signed eight contracts in Russia, delivering 1,000 tons of cocoa. Plans are underway to triple exports to the Russian market.
In turn, according to Venezuela’s State Revenue Committee, Kazakhstan imported 248 tons of Venezuelan cocoa beans, valued at $1.7 million.
Despite the surge in exports, Venezuela’s overall cocoa bean production has remained steady at around 29,000 tons annually, based on data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Earlier, it was reported that global cocoa prices went up in May 2025.