Brazil reports rise in cocoa grinds as imports fall in 2022

In a report by industry group AIPC, Brazil recorded 226,015 tonnes and cocoa arrivals, or the amount of raw material supplied locally, reached 205,782 tonnes in 2022, 4.1% more than in 2021, as local production expanded.

Reuters also reported that Brazil's 2022 cocoa imports accounted for 11,011 tonnes versus 59,768 tonnes imported in 2021.

"Brazil continues to move towards reaching self-sufficiency in cocoa​," said Anna Paula Losi, AIPC's executive president. She said efforts from the entire cocoa chain in the country toward increasing the local crop were starting to bear fruit.

Brazil has been a net importer of cocoa since the 1990s when everything changed due to a fungal infection known as witches'-broom that only attacks cacao trees, ravaged the chocolate industry in Bahia, the country’s main cocoa-growing region.

Losi also said the growth level in 2022 was "less than desired​" since the industry is still reeling from the coronavirus pandemic and economic problems triggered by the war in Ukraine.