Brazil's cocoa production could advance in 2018

Cocoa production by Brazil must be "better" in 2018, outpacing those of 2016 and this year, but a regular regime of rains until December is required for this to materialize, told Reuters the Executive Director of the National Association of Processors industries Cocoa (AIPC), Eduardo Bastos.
In 2016, Brazil produced about 160,000 tons of the product and should log something a little bigger this year, 165,000 and 170,000 tons between, according to the organisation, which considers the receipts of the commodity.
For 2018, "everything indicates that it will be better than 2016 and 2017, but [we're] still awaiting what will the rains until December," said the leader, without citing figures.
"The economic recovery is coming, and chocolate consumption. So we should have 1 2018 best at everything, "he added.
Although it is important in global production of cocoa, Brazil has been a net importer of the commodity, because the internal demand is greater than the harvest.
"We need 60000 tonnes and, for that, we already have one last cargo contracted to 2017, 15000 tons," he said, noting that the Country has already bought abroad about of 45000 tons of raw material of chocolate a year.
The Brazilian industry currently just with imports of cocoa coming from Ghana to help in meeting the demand.
The AIPC estimates that Brazil will close 2017 cocoa grind numbers close to those of last year, totaling 220,000 tons.
In the first half, the industry sued 113,000 tons of almond. Receiving national cocoa in the period was $59500 tons, while the receipts in the closed of the year should be close to 160,000 tons.