Malaysia is gearing up to revive its cocoa industry and reclaim its status as Asia’s top producer, says Deputy Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin.

“Those days, Malaysia had 240,000 hectares of cocoa plantations. Today, it’s just 6,000 hectares. It’s time to rebuild,” Chan said in Kota Kinabalu on Monday.

He said the country is now producing less than 500 tons of cocoa beans annually, heavily relying on imports from West African nations like Ghana and Ivory Coast.

“Cocoa prices are at a historic high of RM46,000 per ton. This is the right time to act,” Chan added.

Sabah, Malaysia’s cocoa heartland, contributes 60% of the nation’s output and is critical to efforts to revive the sector.

“We want to connect the entire supply chain, from smallholders to chocolate factories, and encourage plantations to diversify their crops,” said Chan.

Malaysia’s chocolate industry is thriving with brands like Hokko and Joe & Crow’s, but the upstream sector needs urgent attention, he said.

“We’ve done it before, and we can do it again,” Chan said. “Malaysia has the potential to be Asia’s cocoa hub.”– Jan 20, 2025.